Scott Glenn flips pouty Travolta the bird!
Donning a black fishnet shirt (was the costumer's intent to make Travolta look manlier by comparison?- it didn't work),
grinning up a storm, and chomping the shit out of the tequila worm (in a bit of improv),
Glenn ensures that his slimy character-actin' country-western bizarre-itude will be remembered for all time. See, Hollywood? That's what you get for burying him in a bit part in APOCALYPSE NOW the year prior. This is full-force Glenn unleashed, and there's no stoppin' him!
As for the film itself? Imagine if Cannon Films, during its dance-craze phase (BREAKIN', RAPPIN' SALSA, LAMBADA), made a country-fried remake of ROCKY, except instead of boxing in Philly it was about mechanical bull-riding in Houston. Also, imagine if the film I've just described was engineered with the sort of corporate sincerity designed to win Oscars in a cheap, sleazy, kinda proto-FLASHDANCE/OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN way.
Also, prepare yourself to hear "Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places" at least fifty-seven times. Yee-haw!
The film has aged oddly well. Caught it on TV a few months ago and was actually quite taken with it. Seems like Travolta's last "serious" acting role before he got absorbed in PERFECT, STAYING ALIVE, et al during the rest of the '80s. And wasn't Debra Winger in the midst of a massive coke habit?
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, Scott Glenn steals the show for sure. His character always scares the crap out of me as he acts like he's going kick someone's head in on a whim. Even when he's playing a genial astronaut in THE RIGHT STUFF there's still an edge to him.
Yeah– I enjoyed this one a lot more than I even thought I would. And I'm sure Debra Winger was in the midst of said habit and well on the path to coked-out-cat-fighting Shirley McLaine on set of TERMS OF ENDEARMENT.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right about Glenn's edge– he's got kind of that dangerous element (and devilish grin) even when, as you say, he's one of the good guys.