Simply A Masterpiece

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

There has been a whorehouse just outside of Gilbert, Texas owned by Wulla Jean since before WWI. During the depression, they accepted chicken as payment for services resulting in the nickname, the Chicken Ranch. Wulla Jean passed away leaving her establishment to Mona Stangley (Dolly Parton). The Ranch has local support including Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Burt Reynolds) who comes over often to see her. Muckraking reporter Melvin P. Thorpe (Dom DeLuise) comes to do a series of expose on the Ranch. Mona promises Ed to shut down for 2 months but she recants for the traditional Thanksgiving game between Texas A&M and University of Texas. A Senator is caught as well when Thorpe barges in on the Ranch. Sheriff Dodd is under pressure and he tries to plead his case to the Governor (Charles Durning).Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds come in like an old married couple. She has always been a bit of a cartoon character to me. There are a few pretty catchy songs in this. It's a cute R-rated musical but not that funny. Jim Nabors and Dom DeLuise don't get as many laughs as I expected. It's a very light somewhat enjoyable Broadway-heavy musical.

In terms of box-office The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was the most successful movie-musical of the 1980's. And I can see why, it's easily my favourite musical of all time.Plot In A Paragraph: Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (brilliant Burt Reynolds) turns a blind eye to the fact his mistress Miss Mona (A delightful Dolly Parton) runs a brothel nicknamed "The Chicken Ranch" All is fine until TV reporter Melvin P Thorpe (Hilariously smug Dom DeLuise) decides to wage a war to close it down. Both Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton look gorgeous and they have really good chemistry, that hints at a flirty long time relationship. It's not sizzling by any means, just a hint of smut. They're both great looking, they smile a lot, and they've been provided with good dialogue. Yet somehow Charles Durning steals the movie from out underneath them both despite less than ten minutes of screen time.Watching Durning dance up a storm as he sings "The Sidestep" is an absolute delight. He waltzes in and out of the movie, and walked off with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Burt Reynolds my favourite actor of that era, is at his most attractive here. He has never looked better on screen than he did in this movie. We get all of Reynolds persona's here, Romantic Burt, Bad Tempered Burt, Sexy Burt, Sad & Moody Burt. For the most part his natural charm is on full display here. Dom De Luise is brilliantly bizarre as the TV reporter who wants to shut down the Chicken Ranch. There are funny jokes, some raunchy one- liners, some enjoyable songs set to nice choreography, and then there is Dolly Parton. If I were asked what image dominates "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas," the honest answer would have to be: Dolly Parton's cleavage. I am not being deliberately crude or rude. The awesomeness of her wondrous boobs dominates every scene Dolly appears in. Musical highlights include "A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place" by Parton,"Sneakin' Around", performed as a duet with Parton and Reynolds, and of course Parton's' "I Will Always Love You". I usually watch this movie a couple of times a year.

Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds star in this outrageous tale of a house of ill repute in Texas, which is supposedly based on a true story. The story goes that this bedlam has been in existence with no problems (or complaints) for years, I mean YEARS, decades, generations, until Dom DeLuise, a TV host/reporter (with a bad hair day everyday) hears about it and decides that this an immoral wart on the face of Texas and it needs to be closed down to bring some semblance of integrity back to the people of Texas. But people in high places not only have let this go on, but have been patrons in more ways than one. And, Burt is the sheriff who has to deal with all the hoopla Dom creates. What will become of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?" This was the basis of a stage play, and then the idea was turned into this movie musical. Some people, not having seen it and given the subject matter, may be turned off by its supposed perverseness. Others may be turned on by the novelty of it. Most guys wanting to see it as a possible skin flick may be turned off by the musical side of it. But enough supposing. Granted, this may not be the kind of movie you'd admit to watching, but this is a highly entertaining film, if not altogether a very laugh-out-loud funny movie. But in fact its outlandish and unashamed humor is what sustains the movie and keep the viewers' interest, knowing anything can happen and probably will. The back story of why I saw this was the passing of Charles Durning. I heard at that time that he was nominated for his brief appearance in this, so I bought a cheap copy of this to see him. I was way past the halfway point in the movie and thinking that this wasn't that funny, when, lo and behold there's Mr. Durning. He was absolutely hilarious, as a governor who loves to side step the press on the issues. He was so good, that once he's gone, you keep hoping you'll see him again. But alas. But, I'm so glad I own this now. This may be a far-from-perfect film, with flaws and loopholes abound, but if you jump in and let its muck engulf you, you'll really get into the spirit into which it was made, and you will feel really good after seeing this, with very enjoyable songs, skin for both sexes to see and it even has serious meaningful moments too. Surprise! Surprise! Costarring Jim Nabors as the narrator of the story and Burt's deputy, this is one film you'd have to see to believe. And then, you'll wallow in it over and and over again.

Even in 2009 this movie version of the stage play, BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN Texas, does not always ring true. For all her great talents, Dolly Parton has manipulated yet another script (she did this with STEEL MAGNOLIAS). Look at the overdone and over the top entrances...and that long, boring evening scene by a fire with Burt Reynolds. And these were suppose to be Aggie football players?? And one token black player...and one token black hostess. Come on, integration had not yet occurred in time. The tokenism was so obvious. Fortunately, Whitney Houston came along to really breathe life into "I Will Always Love You." At times exciting, vibrating, exhilarating....thanks in large measure to an over the top "evangelist" and sheriff. Boring and perplexing ending. And as for the goofs, who was watching the shooting script or controlling the editing? I must prefer a rollicking stage version.