Blue Rodeo

Kris Kristofferson plays a rancher named Owen Whister, with a big old dog named Hopeful and a new lady neighbor, Ann-Margret, whom he greets while riding up on a horse like a polite cowboy out of a Gary Cooper movie: "I live right over yonder, ma'am, give me a holler if you get into any trouble." She's just out of a bad marriage and has a teenage son who was rendered almost completely deaf in a fall (he jumped into a swimming pool to avoid an argument between his parents, but did he realize it was empty of water?). TV-movie treats every obstacle (marriage, deafness, courtship, mother-son relationships) like a speed-bump, something to conquer with love and persistence. The son is 'almost' deaf, therefore he can speak clearly and converse with Ann-Margret so that she doesn't have to spend the whole movie signing (and when she does, it looks like something she might have picked up one afternoon at a PTA meeting). The romance between the grown-ups is sweet if false, like everything else in "Blue Rodeo".

As a HUGE A-M fan I read a lot of reviews on this made for TV movie, and most described it as predictable, & slow moving. The first time I saw it (and I have to say I LOOOOVE hearing Ann-Margret sing Shape Of My Heart at the beginning! It's now one of my favorite songs she sings!) The first time I saw it I was very moved! The entire message of the movie was so true to life..You get a good thing, but you must give something up in return. I really felt the pain of all the characters. And as usual, Ann-Margret blew me away with her performance! The scene where she confronts her son about his father is one of her strongest I've ever seen! I don't know if it's the gorgeous Arizona setting, or the way it was filmed, but the whole movie has this kind of tranquil atmosphere. For some subconscious reason whenever I'm having a horrible day at school, or anywhere, I always turn to A-M, and especially this movie to get by. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes inspirational stories, sign language, Native American history, and of course Ann-Margret!!!!

*~*Tina*~*