classicsoncall When I posted my review of the Gene Autry flick "Down Mexico Way" some seven years ago as I write this, I wondered whether there might be at least one more Western out there that had a polka played in it. With a dab of poetic license, I'd say you could call "Rancho Deluxe" a Western, after all it's got cowboys, horses and cattle rustling in it. So when free spirit Betty Fargo (Patti D'Arbanville) called over to the band to 'Play a Polka', I'd have to say their response qualifies this flick as the third time I've caught one in the genre. If you're wondering what the other one was, it was Charles Starrett's programmer from 1951 called "Snake River Desperadoes".Well that polka might not have sounded much like a polka, and this might not look much like your traditional Western, but it sure does have that cattle rustling thing down pat. Problem is, most of the rustling by bad boys Jack McKee (Jeff Bridges) and Cecil Colson (Sam Waterston) is done one at a time, and they generally just shoot and butcher the poor animal right where he drops. I've never tried it, but it seems to me that taking a chainsaw to a dead animal would be a lot more gruesome than the picture allowed; Jack didn't get a drop of blood on him! This is a wryly amusing tale with quick and abrupt scene changes but it's not hard to follow. Writer Thomas McGuane must have let his fertile imagination head into Mexican overdrive to come up with the story. The Baseheart of Bozeman Canyon making shambles of the hotel room is almost worth the price of admission alone, but prepare yourself to really pay attention to everything going on along with all the sharp dialog because you'll want to reflect on things when it's all over.With a title tune from Jimmy Buffet and a sneak peak harmonica cameo by Warren Oates, this is definitely not your father's Western. The only connection there would be Slim Pickens' role in the story, and having seen a bunch of his pictures from the Fifties, I was a little surprised to see him in this one as late as 1975. But he did have quite a few more screen appearances after this one so I'll have to check out some of those as well if I can find them.After catching Sam Waterston in all those 'Law and Order' episodes, it's a bit strange seeing him here as an alcoholic Indian, or any kind of Indian for that matter. But it wouldn't be the last time he appeared in a Western. He showed up four years later as a Kiowa warrior named White Bull, giving Martin Sheen fits in another off beat story, but that time he went the entire picture without saying a word.

Neil-L-Cook 1975 to 2013 is a lot of years. I had the sound track on vinyl and had to replace it with an iTunes download. And now I'll probably purchase a digital version of the movie. First time I saw Jimmy Buffet, Sam Waterson, Slim Pickens, Harry Dean Stanton and Jeff Bridges. I can't argue with the "serious" comments posted here. But I do know this, I have the fondest memories of watching this film, constantly talk about it, want to see it again, and again, need to here the music regularly. Few movies stick with me like this, most, if not all of Robert Altman's movies, but this is different and fun and makes me sit up and take notice. Be forewarned, I'm not talking about "GREAT" cinema, just a wonderful and entertaining movie. Books move me, technological writing captures my analytic mind, but this movie was fun and I want more.

Tjhulsey16 i have sentimental reasons for loving this movie. the outdoor sex scenes make this a great date movie (at least for me). but the look on clifton james face at the end, as he shakes slim pickens hand is just priceless. i was jeff bridges age and a bit of an outlaw myself, so i really related to the entire attitude that was the theme of this movie. great acting all around, and no hard feelings at the end. all smiles. what i enjoy the most about this type of film is that the viewer has no idea in which direction the movie is going. the scenery is just beautiful, jimmy buffet is in his prime, and the combination of veteran character actors, plus the up and comers, make this a great viewing experience.

cmvoger "Rancho Deluxe" assembles a group of characters who think they want things to go back to the way they used to be, but they mostly have simplistic views about the past. The wealthy ranch owners made their pile with a string of beauty parlors. The two ranch hands--an appliance repairman and a TV pitchman--quit those jobs to live in a bunkhouse and ride fenced-in range. The two cattle rustlers take one beef at a time, and haul it away in a pickup -- but they shoot it with an antique buffalo rifle. They all think something was lost in the past which they would like to recover. A braver time, a lost simplicity, perhaps.By contrast, two of the oldest characters, the elderly Indian and the retired horse thief- turned range detective, observed more of the past and know it better, and they approve of progress. Joseph Spinnell lectures his son, "The homesteads, hospitals, schools and welfare of the state of Montana have been sold down the river to buy pickup trucks!" The detective sets a honey-trap to ferret out just who expects to come into some money soon, a very modern ploy. Then, seemingly for fun, he dons chaps and six-guns and mounts a white horse to pull over the cattle-laden tractor-trailer before it can get to a roadway. He then dismounts and asks for some more peach pie. He lectures the ranch owner, "All big money crimes are inside jobs. Remember that and you may hang on to this ranch of yours."In the end, even the captured rustlers are somewhat content. Turns out the Montana penal system has a prison ranch, if you can earn "trusty" status.With all the fun going on in this story, there is also that core of serious thought about nostalgia not being what it used to be.