17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Country Charmer Penned by Dan Jenkins..., January 8, 2003
This review is from: Baja Oklahoma [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Baja Oklahoma is a wonderful HBO Original Film that is remembered primarily as an early Julia Roberts vehicle, but deserves much more than that! Written by 'Semi-Tough' scribe Dan Jenkins, the film crackles with great one-liners, inspired casting, and a 'Cinderella' storyline that's hard to beat.
Lesley Ann Warren (who's never been feistier or more beautiful) is Juanita, a good-hearted Texas woman with a string of bad relationships, an 18-year old daughter (Roberts) running off to Aspen with a dope-pushing boyfriend, a dead-end job waitressing at a bar, and dreams of being a songwriter. Her best friend/fellow waitress, Doris (the fabulous Swoozie Kurtz) cheats on her husband regularly, depending on her to back up her alibis; her patrons (including singer Billy Vera and the terrific William Forsythe) are an undependable but very likable collection of oddballs.
When Juanita's high school flame (Peter Coyote) returns to town for his father's funeral, her life begins to turn around. Both have been burned but still remain optimistic, and he believes in her talent. All she needs is some good advice (provided by Vera), a little management (offered by local deejay Anthony Zerbe, who's a hoot), some inspiration (from Coyote, of course!), and a little luck, and her dreams just might come true!
Filled with classic country tunes, appearances by Emmylou Harris, John Mayall, and Willie Nelson, and a terrific title tune by Jenkins and Nelson, this is a 'feel-good' movie that may just bring a tear to your eye by the finale. It's that good!
So if you purchase this simply to see Julia Roberts, prepare to be enchanted by another 'Pretty Woman'!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best!, August 3, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Baja Oklahoma [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is such a great movie. I usually rank all films I see along with most of the critics; sad to say they didn't rate this one as high as I did. However, this little film grabbed me--I identify so much with 'Juanita's' plight--wanting so much to 'make' it but being stuck in a one-bar hick town. The love connection was very real and Swoozie Kurtz' part, as always, the cutest and quirkiest. It's in my collection. It's my favorite and I loan it to everyone. I wish I were from Texas where Bob Wills is still the king!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly Addictive, June 24, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Baja Oklahoma [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This was a mid-afternoon throw-away movie. Basically, the only reason I would ever watch a movie like this is because there was nothing else on. Luckily, someone accidentally taped it, because I was hooked. I still haven't figured out how a pre-women's-lib honky-tonk Texas flick made it into my "heavy rotation" movie section. The acting is pretty good, the plot is nothing special, and the discussion about the pink dye-job certainly borders on the revolting. (You'll have to see the movie to understand.) But I connected with Leslie Ann Warren's character , and was unexpectedly drawn into her struggles with her history, her nymphomaniacal friend, and her naive daughter. Everyone has felt like her at least once, and some of us (like me) actually see ourselves in her combined innocence and cynicism. And of course, the ending is as good as they get. Watch this movie -- not because you think you'll love it, but because you think you won't. Everyone needs a pleasant little shock once in a while. One word of warning: "Baja Oklahoma" is a very stick-in-your-head kind of song. As are many of the other tunes in the movie. You might not want to watch it right before a major presentation, or anything else that requires memorization. Unless, of course, you're a good singer.
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