Urban Cowboy
Urban Cowboy

Movie spotlight

Urban Cowboy

1980
Movie
132 min
English

After moving to Pasadena, Texas, country boy Bud Davis starts hanging around a bar called Gilley's, where he falls in love with Sissy, a cowgirl who believes the sexes are equal. They eventually marry, but their relationship is turbulent due to Bud's traditional view of gender roles. Jealousy over his rival leads to their separation, but Bud attempts to win Sissy back by triumphing at Gilley's mechanical bull-riding competition.

Insights

IMDb5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes33%
Metacritic51/100
Google Users70%
Director: James BridgesGenres: Drama, Romance, Music

Plot Summary

Bud, a country boy, moves to Houston looking for work and a new life. He soon finds himself drawn into the city's honky-tonk bar scene, falling for Sissy, a spirited cowgirl. Their tumultuous relationship plays out against the backdrop of mechanical bulls, country music, and a rivalry with a tough oil-rigger.

Critical Reception

Urban Cowboy was a cultural phenomenon that captured the zeitgeist of the early 1980s, influencing fashion, music, and a certain urban cowboy aesthetic. While critically divisive, with some praising its romanticism and atmosphere and others criticizing its plot and characters, it was a box office success and remains a nostalgic touchstone for the era.

What Reviewers Say

  • Captures the feel of its time and place with a strong soundtrack and visuals.

  • Praised for its portrayal of a specific subculture and the chemistry between its leads.

  • Criticized for a meandering plot and underdeveloped characters.

Google audience: Audiences generally enjoyed the film for its music, the vibrant atmosphere of the honky-tonk bars, and John Travolta's performance. Some viewers found the story to be thin and the characters somewhat unbelievable, but many appreciated its nostalgic portrayal of a bygone era.

Fun Fact

The Gilley's Club featured in the film was a real, massive honky-tonk in Pasadena, Texas, owned by country singer Mickey Gilley, and was a popular destination in its own right before it was destroyed by arson in 1989.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Country boy "Bud" (John Travolta) finds himself in the bright lights of Houston where he encounters "Sissy" (Debra Winger) and like grease lightening, they find themselves married. He's a grafter and works hard at a nearby oil refinery, but...

JPV852

JPV852

Some unintentionally funny (I think anyway) and melodramatic moments and even as someone who isn't a fan of honky-tonk music, that wasn't bad. However, it is fairly long and could've been cut down by a good 20-25 minutes, also, and I'm not ...