classicsoncall A couple of things surprise me about the listing for this movie on IMDb; first, it only merits a 6.2 rating as I write this, and second, there are only fifteen other user reviews here ahead of me. I thought there would have been a lot more Willie Nelson fans out there ready to offer up their thoughts on the film. Personally, I enjoyed the heck out of it every time I've seen it, most notably for the music, but also for the poignant story line about a big time singer breaking out and how hard it is to stay faithful while out 'on the road again'.As for the music, most of the Willie Nelson standards are here, and if I were writing the screenplay, the only one I would have added to the song list would have been 'Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys'; the story line looked like it could have supported that one any number of places. A nice surprise was hearing how well Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving sounded in the numbers they came in on, and every tune was expertly selected to define the scene it was done in. Especially poignant was Viv Bonham's (Cannon) rendition of "Two Sides to Every Story" as philandering husband Buck (Nelson) joined in during the Garland Ramsey (Slim Pickens) celebration.The first time I saw this picture many years ago, I felt kind of bad for Lily Ramsey (Irving) during that final performance, seeing as she was on the outside looking in so to speak, as the Bonham's patched up their differences on stage and forgave each other their indiscretions. Watching the film today, it came across more realistically than when I first saw it, as Lily recognized it as her duty to step aside for a marriage that had endured a long time through thick and thin much before she ever came on the scene. It made for a bittersweet reconciliation on her part, as well as for the Bonham's.I'll tell you what though, there was no shortage of scenes in which Budweiser and Coca-Cola made their presence felt throughout the picture, with able assists by Michelob and Lone Star Beer. Willie's buddies, the Walker Brothers were on hand too, you know, Black and Red. The product placement for this film was all over the place, but even that couldn't hold a candle to Cotton Roberts' dazzling outfit. Who would have guessed that was Mickey Rooney, Jr.!

TOMASBBloodhound The rest of us, on the other hand.... we might think it's okay. Perhaps if I hadn't seen Tender Mercies so recently, then Honeysuckle Rose might have seemed better. Where as Mercies had a real actor trying to play a country singer, this one has a real country singer trying to act. The results just aren't as good, but Willie is the last person I'd blame. This is more of a showcase for Nelson's music than it is a regular film with a well-developed story line. Nelson's acting is really pretty good, when they let him act.The plot centers around a successful, yet not quite hugely popular country singer going out on the road and having an affair with a young member of his band. Nelson is perfectly suited for the role of Buck Bonham who needs a fill-in guitar player after his long time ax player (Slim Pickens) retires from the band. As luck would have it, his plucky young daughter (Amy Irving) can also play a mean guitar and eagerly accepts the position meant to only last a few weeks. But of course this leads to all kinds of hurt feelings and conflict as the young woman admits a long time crush on the old crooner and the two quickly begin sleeping together. Bonham's band mates can only do their best to look in the other direction as it is an awkward situation for them, too. They are close with the girls father of course, and also quite friendly with Bonham's long suffering wife played very well by Dyan Cannon. Obviously, it is only a matter of time before those left at home find out, and things will most certainly come crashing down.The film runs for quite a long time considering how little plotting there is. Much of the film takes place on stage with Willie and the band belting out a lot of slow, emotional country songs to a doting fan base. The director of this film, who I've never heard of, seems to struggle with the material when scenes are taking place off stage. He seems to put the camera too far away from the actors, taking some of the edge off their more dramatic scenes. The film is also under-lit, even for a film taking place mostly on a gloomy tour bus and darkened venues. Exterior shots of the bus traveling down the road look pretty good, though. The acting by all is quite good. Cannon has the most memorable lines, most of which coming when she announces their divorce in front of a packed house after catching Nelson and Irving slobbering over each other during a duet. Pickens is as watchable as ever, and likely didn't make many more films after this. Irving is quite good, as well. So is the fellow who plays Nelson's manager.Only fans of Willie Nelson are bound to get a real kick from this film, and I'm sure many of them did. He has such a wonderful and distinct style that he deserves a feature film of this type. As a film buff I just wanted more focus on the story and to learn more about these characters. Again I would recommend the film Tender Mercies which basically takes the Buck Bonham kind of character a few years later into his life. To a place where he has finally hit rock bottom and lost most of those around him who ever cared about him. It's highly likely that Buck Bonham would have eventually landed on the same motel room floor somewhere and not have a clue how he got there. 6 of 10 stars.The Hound.

derryj I saw this movie years ago when it first came out, and I love it as much now as I did then. It covers what happens in the lives of some performers as they do their jobs. Some think that it is great to do something that you love to do and still get paid for it! On one hand that is true, but there are pitfalls that can mess up your life if you aren't prepared to deal with them. Drinking and drugs is only a part of it.This movie deals with how hard it is to hold a marriage together when one in the couple is on the road all the time. Both make compromises. But if you love someone, you do what you have to do to make it work. I think that pretty much goes for any marriage, not just for gypsies. It takes special people with a strong love to make it work. That's what this is all about. Unfortunately, some don't have that strong a love.In this case, they did.

Michael O'Keefe Buck Bonham(Willie Nelson) and Garland Ramsey(Slim Pickens) are two country stars that have been on the road for probably too many years. Garland wants to retire and Buck is too stubborn to. There needs to be a temporary replacement for Garland and it is suggested that Garland's daughter Lily(Amy Irving)go out with Buck and the band for a few weeks.Lily is living a dream being on the road and even more she acts on her long admiration for Buck. The two singers become an item and soon they don't even try to hide their entanglement.There is a lot of Willie songs throughout and any Willie fan should feel high on the hog. For the non Willie fan it is still a good film, where your brain kind of slips into neutral.Dyan Cannon plays Buck's wife and sure looks too hot for the role. Others in the cast are Lane Smith, Diana Scarwid and Mickey Rooney, Jr. Emmylou Harris drops in for a cameo role.Gas up the tour bus and chase the white line.