Product Details

• Format: Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Netflix
• DVD Release Date: January 23, 2007
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000ION7B2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,273 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

This documentary focuses on Ivan Thompson a man who helps American men hook up with Mexican wives. Outwardly Thompson appears to be a rough Texan cowboy but his exterior masks someone who believes wholeheartedly in what he is doing and he clearly enjoys his unusual line of work.System Requirements:Run Time: 87 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 796019798518 Manufacturer No: 79851

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming, funny, and life affirming, June 30, 2008

By 

John A. Aragon "The Rock" (Santa Fe NM USA) - See all my reviews
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"Cowboy del Amor" is a documentary about an old cowboy out of Columbus, NM, who used to take Gringos into Mexico to find Mexican wives. The Gringos thought that U.S. women had bad attitudes, that Mexican women were more appreciative. The Mexican women thought that U.S. men were more attentive to their women. They say Mexican guys treat women badly, just use them.

So we get to see three courtships and two marriages. And we learn of the deterioration of Ivan Thompson's (The Cowboy del Amor's) marriage to a Mexican woman.

The film is really charming, funny, and life affirming. We see these people's hopes and dreams, the awkwardness of courtship, the shy inter- family introductions, the fragile beauty and happiness of human love. The wedding ceremonies made me cry. But I'm a softy.

It's an "Indy" film and supposedly there is a Cowboy del Amor web site. I enjoyed it so much I watched it twice in one sitting!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Cowboy Cupid Offers A Fascinating, If Distasteful, View Of The Mail-Order Bride Business, December 13, 2006

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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I just want to say right off that I didn't think that I had strong feelings about the subject of mail-order brides. But, in truth, it's not a subject I pondered about very often. It might have seemed a bit silly or unnecessary that people utilize these services, but who am I to judge--I'm not on any moral high ground. I was, then, quite surprised by how distasteful that I found the documentary "Cowboy Del Amor." But I also have to distinguish the documentary itself from the subject, and often times documentaries investigate unpleasant topics. If they can provoke strong feelings, then they have been successful.

"Cowboy Del Amor" tells the story of Ivan Thompson, the Cowboy Cupid. For almost twenty years, Thompson has been bringing American men together with Mexican women in a matchmaking business. Advertising on roadside billboards, Thompson finds clients (generally older) looking for matrimonial material. They venture over the border, place personal ads and proceed to interview likely candidates (generally younger). Like a business contract, most of these men are looking for docile subservient creatures and the women are looking for someone to treat them nicely (and earn them citizenship). It's generally an odd, but understandable, settling of lowered expectations.

I don't mind the concept, per se. People do what they need to get by. But there is a certain hypocrisy that is glossed over at every opportunity. Ivan (a senior citizen by any standards) likes that teenage Mexican women will flirt with him. They respect age and wisdom, unlike in America (he contends). However, his ageist argument against the States falls apart because he is blatantly discriminatory against older women. All the American men are claiming brides half their age in this scenario (young and thin are generally required before meeting). Several men (Ivan included) requested brides who didn't want to learn to speak English--so that they would always be reliant on their husbands and, thus, stuck in the relationship. The most memorable sequence, to me, involves a 33 year old Mexican doctor who is set up with a 59 year old American used car salesman. With absolutely no common ground, intellectually or otherwise, this setup is painful to watch.

I feel as if I was supposed to find some of the proceedings here quaint, cute, or amusing. Mostly I found them sad. But I did find the film a fascinating study on a culture I knew little about. Thompson, himself, seems a nice enough fellow. He's a bit of a dinosaur in his thinking, though, but completely unaware of it. And I guess he has enough truck drivers and car salesmen as clients to prove that he is not alone in his world view. I do recommend "Cowboy Del Amor" as a curiosity. I think some may find it a genial crowd pleaser--I find it a vivid portrait of desperation and hypocrisy. KGHarris, 12/06.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whimsical documentary about a Matchmaker, April 12, 2008

By 

Margaret E. Sondey (Ohio) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

Off-beat documentary about an aging US rancher who discovers his real professional passion -- playing matchmaker between lovelorn US men and willing Mexican women. Approach this with an open mind and you'll enjoy this genteel story -- approach it with pre-conceived notions of gender equality, border issues, etc., and you'll head into emotional upsets.