COYOTE UGLY (2000) / ** 1/2
Directed by David McNally. Screenplay by Gina Wendkos. Starring Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, John Goodman. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on August 11th, 2000.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Is there a story used more often in Hollywood films than the underdog who makes good? I doubt it. We've seen it so often now that we know what beats the film will hit even before it does. There's the optimistic opening, followed quickly by our hero getting a taste of sobering reality. But our hero proceeds undeterred, slowly moving up in the world and probably acquiring a love interest along the way. Then we hit the false dawn, as everything seems to be going our hero's way when, suddenly, everything goes wrong. Usually, this is linked to a complication in the romantic subplot, and often to our hero misinterpreting an innocent situation. Our hero spirals to his or her lowest ebb, about to give up hope entirely. But then, out of the blue, there is a sudden source of inspiration -- often a sacrifice or about-face by another character -- and the hero gives it one last go. Everything ends in triumph -- and, of course, a cuddly reunion with the love interest.
The underdog scenario is so familiar it almost feels like one of the family. But so familiar, too, that it is difficult to get really worked up about this kind of movie. Virtually every twist, every possible variation has already been played out; the capacity for invention in the genre is approaching nil. We cannot judge the movie on how creative it was, how much it surprised us or affected us, because it is difficult to be surprised or affected when you can guess where the film is going half an hour ahead of time. Instead, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the filmmakers to take this timeworn concept and turn it into something, if not novel, then at least entertaining.
The newest underdog movie is "Coyote Ugly", and the shoulders in question belong mostly to Piper Perabo. Perabo plays Violet Sanford, an aspiring songwriter who leaves her small hometown to go to New York City, where she hopes to make a name for herself. What Violet doesn't realise is that she can't just walk up to a record company and hand them her demo tape -- illogically, she needs to make a name for herself first. Unfortunately, Violet has tremendous stage fright, and can't work up the courage to sing her songs to a live audience. Meanwhile, she meets Kevin (Adam Garcia), a charming Australian whom she mistakes for a club manager. Out of the awkward meeting springs a budding romance, but one that is hamstrung by Kevin's unwillingness to disclose his own secrets.
Violet gets a job working at a raucous bar called the Coyote Ugly, run by tough-talking Lil (Maria Bello). At the Coyote Ugly, drinks are only served straight and in shot glasses, and the bartenders are sexy women who hop up on the bar to dance, spray the customers with water, and light things on fire. Slowly, Violet begins to find a home at the Coyote Ugly, but this brings her into conflict with both her father (John Goodman) and Kevin, who thinks Violet is using her bartending job as an excuse not to pursue her songwriting dreams.
What "Coyote Ugly" has going for it is a pair of charming performances from Perabo and Garcia, who have a lot of screen appeal both together and individually -- particularly remarkable since both are basically newcomers to feature films. Perabo did a good job in a rather thankless role in this summer's "The Adventures Of Rocky & Bullwinkle"; here she's on somewhat surer ground. In some ways, Violet is rather unbelievable character -- I found her complete naivete about the workings of the music business hard to swallow, and I kept wondering why she didn't just go out and find a singer to collaborate with (it's not like every songwriter has a good voice, after all!). But Perabo manages to make Violet work; I look forward to the day that she gets to sink her teeth into a more substantial character. Garcia, for his part, demonstrates great comic timing and a strong on-screen presence.
The script by Gina Wendkos -- another relative unknown -- has a number of funny moments and nice little touches, like Kevin's comic book habit ("It's manly," he insists, while Violet counters that "it's sweet"). But it also hews very closely to all the genre cliches, and at times feels obscenely contrived. Plot developments jump out of nowhere for the express purpose of manipulating our emotions, like a scene (never referred to again) where Violet's apartment is broken into, and the emergency money left her by a friend is stolen. Great movies slip such incidents seamlessly into the flow of the film. That you can so easily see the puppeteer's strings in "Coyote Ugly" is indicative of how much Wendkos and first-time director David McNally still have to learn.
I was also disappointed that, given the movie's title, the Coyote Ugly bar and its staff was used more as a backdrop than a pivotal element. The bartenders, even Lil, are permitted very little development, which is unfortunate because I got the impression that there were some good characters and enjoyable performances lurking there, trying to break out. It's unfortunate that more attention is instead paid to Goodman's character, who is never much more than a convenient plot device. Although Goodman is always fun to watch, he's pretty much cruising in neutral here, playing his role like the first cousin of his Dan Conner character from the sitcom "Roseanne".
"Coyote Ugly", then, is a fun, lightweight, but ultimately forgettable entry into the summer roster. For the many neophytes who contributed to it, it may well be looked back on in ten years' time as a good beginning which paved the way to much better things.
If nothing else, viewers should keep an eye out for a cameo appearance by Tara McLean, one of Canada's best but most underpromoted singer-songwriters, as an open mic night singer early in the film.
Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/CoyoteUgly.html
_______________________________________________________________________ / Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \ | shannon@mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde | \___________________________|__________________________________________/ | Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html | | Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |
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