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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is based on a real incident involving one of Texas' oldest operating bordellos, The Chicken Ranch. Burt Reynolds plays Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd. He's in love with the madam of the maison -- Ms. Mona (Dolly Parton) and she with him. But that bond is tested when Melvin P. Thorpe (Dom DeLuise) a television crusader decides that sex is immoral and sin is akin to leaving one's knickers in a ball on the bureau. The film abounds with clichés about small town hicks, fast talking whores and slippery tongued politicians (in this instance embodied by the light-on-his-feet stepping of Charles Durning), but it's an endurable and tune filled piece of lighthearted fiction. There's lots of music, some really stellar dancing, a whole lot of fun and a tad bit of nudity. But hey, there's "nothin' dirty goin' on," making "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" an affair that is naughty but nice.
Universal has done a very nice job with film elements that are remarkably clean. Colors are rich and vibrant. Contrast and shadows are generally well balanced. There's a good amount of fine detail present. Some darker scenes are perhaps a bit too softly focused. There are no digital anomalies to speak of. The soundtrack, though dated, has been very nicely represented. Dialogue sounds less natural than the musical sequences, which really pack a wallop.
Extras include a making of featurette that's pretty succinct, some hilarious outtakes in which the cast lets loose with all the four letter words they almost used in the film, and a darling theatrical trailer that features a song not included in the film; Dolly Parton singing "Down at the Chick-chick-Chicken Ranch."
After a couple of hours of homespun, sexy good fun like this, you'll have a strong desire to go for a ride in the country. No pun intended. |
