Wuchak RELEASED IN 1980 and directed by James Bridges, "Urban Cowboy" is a drama starring John Travolta as mid-Texas young man who moves to Houston to work at the oil refineries. In his spare time he goes to the local Country bar where he meets babes (Debra Winger & Madolyn Smith) and rides the mechanical bull. Scott Glenn plays his rival while Barry Corbin & Brooke Alderson appear as his amiable uncle and aunt.It's overlong by at least 20 minutes and the alcohol-obsession & bed-hopping shenanigans get tedious, but I like the docudrama style. The film takes its time and successfully puts you in the C&W subculture. The plot's predictable, showing the best & worst in human behavior, yet leaves you with a good feeling. There's a likable simplicity and honesty to the people, despite their less savory sides (i.e. the alcohol/cigs & bed-hopping). The movie scores well on the female front, mostly of the tight jeans & t-shirt variety (naturally), fronted by Winger with her girl-next-door cuteness and followed by Smith with her drop-dead-gorgeous ambiance. Connie Hanson appears as the striking redhead. The final act features the Charlie Daniels Band and you can't go wrong with them.THE MOVIE RUNS 132 minutes and was shot in the Houston area of Texas (Dear Park, Pasadena & Huntsville) and Pico Rivera, California (Mobile home park). WRITERS: Bridges & Aaron Latham wrote the script based on Aaron Latham's story.GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

ShelbyTMItchell Both the Mickey Gilley's bar and dressing up as Cowboys really became popular after this. As it also kind of help John Travolta who would go onto having a bad 1980s with this exception until Pulp Fiction helped to revive his career.He moves from the farm from his large family to the city to get a job in Houston with his aunt and uncle. And hang out at a bar owned by Mickey Gilley and meets sassy Debra Winger and they get married only a short time after they meet.He gets jealous of the way she flirts at ex-con Scott Glenn, who he in turn flirts with Madolyn Smith. As he learns that he really loves Sissy and vice versa with Sissy, as an upcoming bull riding contest could help resolve their marriage before it's too late.After this movie, dressing as cowboys and cowgirls and bull riding became very popular. As the film is really a good 1980s film. A classic to say the least.

tieman64 James Bridges directs "Urban Cowboy", an attempt to cash in on John Badham's "Saturday Night Fever". Both films star John Travolta, though here he trades bell-bottoms, disco balls and dance floors for cowboy hats, mechanical bulls, pickup trucks and square dancing.For some reason, 1980s Hollywood saw a boom in films which romanticised blue-collar work. Here Travolta and his gang spend their days working hard with hardhats at oil refineries, before spending their well-earned nights dancing at local clubs or riding mechanical bulls. Travolta's love interest in the film is Sissy, played by Debra Winger, who "wants to be independent", much to the chagrin of Travolta who "doesn't think gals should behave that way". Sissy thus defiantly "rides a mechanical bull" in a "sexy manner" which "attracts men" and "makes Travolta angry". The couple then fight, break up and get back together. Much of the film consists of men spouting macho wisdom ("a man don't back down when things get tough"), proving their masculinity by riding mechanical bulls, dancing like cowboys or beating up women. Like many of the "urban cowboy flicks" of this era (see Eastwood's "Bronco Billy"), our cowboy hero thus spends most of his time, not beating Indians, but battering and attempting to tame uppity women. Interestingly, Travolta's a "cowboy" only when at his town's Western-themed dance halls and bars. Outside these establishments he's just a regular, blue collar worker. His masculinity is thus solely defined by what happens on the dance floor. When Sissy (her name a slur) encroaches on this, Travolta gets hilariously mad. Very literally, the film is about cowboys who, having lost their mythical Wild West to big oil companies, mega-corporations and stifling 9 to 5 routines, sublimate their resentment by battering and besting each other on mechanical bulls. When women start riding the bulls, the already fragile egos of these guys goes berserk.While there's ample material here for a look at working class frustrations and the dying of subcultures, the film misses the point of its own story and completely ignores the causes of all its flying fists...namely those big factories and the logic of the almighty dollar. For this whole 1980s, romanticized blue-collar movement done better in under 4 minutes, listen to Lennon's "Working Class Hero" a couple times.5/10 – Good ambiance and decor undermined by dumb plot. Worth one viewing.

scythempress I was the only person in Texas that did NOT want to and did not go to see this movie. I was also the only person in Texas to never own this soundtrack. I was not then nor ever have been a fan of country music or dancing. That said, I have since seen the movie many times. I is as stupid as I thought it would be, but somehow I end up watching it every time the satellite dish finds it. It makes one ashamed to be from Texas because of how stupid the cast sounds trying to be one of us, but in all honesty, that is about as true a depiction of life in Texas at that time as there ever was. Sadly, the cast members that actually were locals, were the worst impersonators of Texans in the whole show. Let's face it, in real life, Pam and her money would have won, period. It is, if nothing else, true to the times.