Syl Billy Bob Thornton plays Lonnie Earl Dodd, a car salesman in Arkansas, with his wife Darlene (played by British actress the late Natasha Richardson). With their best friends, a couple Roy (played by the late Patrick Swayze) and his wife (played by South African actress Charlize Theron). Natasha Richardson would pass away years later but she uses her acting abilities to play Darlene with complexity rather than a Southern caricature. When you watch her here, she isn't acting royalty or her training at Central School of Drama and Speech. Her Darlene fits in with the cast. Texan Patrick Swayze who too passed away is also believable as his best friend Roy. The foursome seem to have fun in this movie about two couple spending a vacation in Reno, Nevada. Billy Bob Thornton have tried and succeeded in displaying an often ignored part of America on film. He's become one of my favorite actors, writers, and directors.

Derek Jamison (dmj_incorporated-1) If you hate redneck accents, you'll hate this movie. And to make it worse, you see Patrick Swayze, a has been trying to be a redneck. I really can't stand redneck accents. I like Billy Bob Thornton, he was good in Slingblade, but he was annoying in this movie. And what kind of name is Lonnie Earl? How much more hickish can this movie get? The storyline was stupid. I'm usually not this judgemental of movies, but I couldn't stand this movie. If you want a good Billy Bob Thornton movie, go see Slingblade.My mom found this movie for $5.95 at Wal Mart...figures...I think I'll wrap it up and give it to my Grandma for Christmas. It could just be that I can't stand redneck accents usually, or that I can't stand Patrick Swayze. Maybe if Patrick Swayze wasn't in it. I didn't laugh once in the movie. I laugh at anything stupid usually. If they had shown someones fingers getting smashed, I might have laughed. people's fingers getting smashed by accident always makes me laugh.

ninkii This movie was much better than I had expected it would be. The characters were actually developed! I was surprised to see each of the actors committed to being real characters as opposed to charicatures. It deals with real issues without making too much light of them and without making you depressed. I was delightfully surprised by this movie.

mwendel This is by far one the most pathetic and under-achieving movies I have watched in some time. Natasha Richardson, Billy Bob Thornton, Patrick Swayze, and Charlize Theron play one of the dumbest foursomes I have ever seen in a movie. This was in no way their fault whatsoever. If anything I would have to give them some extra accolades for giving these characters any depth at all, seeing as how they were not given much to work with.If these characters had woken up in Reno they would have in the least swapped mates and made themselves truly happy. I mean these are four of the most clueless characters I have ever seen. In some ways their backwoods, child-like behaviors make them a bit more appealing and humorous, but they learn nothing in this story - except whose best friend slept with who's husband/wife. After all the arguing and reactionary behavior ceases, its go to the monster truck rally, and then go home, where magically everyone kisses and makes up like nothing ever happened.It's preposterous and so silly that it's painful. I did find myself waiting for the end to come, which when it did was completely unfulfilling. This movie is just a lame duck with a loaded cast. What a waste.