The Last Cowboy

Jennie Garth has a grudge against her father (Lance Henriksen), but comes back home to attend her mother's father's funeral. When she inherits part of the family ranch, she must make peace with Dad if they are to ward off the debts and developers trying to take their land.

Formula stuff, but played well by a terrific cast, especially Henricksen, M. C. Gainey with a show-stealing turn as a laid-back ranch hand and "Alias" sidekick Bradley Cooper. Garth is better than I've ever seen her and rides a horse credibly.

If this is what Hallmark is going to do with their TV network, it could make up for the "Touched By an Angel" reruns.

An early diamond in the rough Hallmark movie that outclasses what they do today. I look at Hallmark movies for 3 things: premise, character development, and execution. I cannot speak for the technical aspects of the movie that may be in other reviews. The premise is straightforward: daughter hasn't been home in a long time returns when her grandfather died. She learns the ranch is in dire financial straits and will be repossessed by the banks. Garth plays the estranged daughter with a child and Hendrickson plays the grumpy, stubborn father-ranch owner. You have Bradley Cooper in it but his contribution is obviously before his "love interest" roles. He is relegated to second string to play a somewhat contributing part when the ranch is saved at the end. Gainey plays the old, loyal, dependable ranch hand who is the mediator in the film seeking and understanding and balance between Garth and Hendrickson. The other parts are people being brought in to help the ranch or the banker for the repossession. Good character development that supports the premise and makes it a good film from an emotional standpoint. The movie has a nice balance for tension and development. All the movie pieces i.e. scenes of bank meeting interruption, real estate agent introduction, barn fire, bank negotiations did not overshadow the movie by skimming over crucial details or bogging it down with the unnecessary emotional baggage. The movie had some pretty cinematic sceneries of the mountings and ranch. But as mentioned in other reviews, it wasn't Texas, but it doesn't matter. The movie's pacing was pretty good considering the themes here. The movie could have slowed down considerably if it was to become too introspective. Lastly, the acting was good and even for everyone's part although some characters could have been stereotypical and one dimensional. Gainey I thought played his role the best with providing both dramatic and comedic moments. Overall, Hallmark lost its way by going away from this movie recipe that didn't involve romance or typical romcom hang ups.

A lot of people that have never stepped foot outside a city will not appreciate the openness of the outdoors country life..you have to be there and see it..but this comes pretty close..a man estranged from his daughter since his wife died 8 years ago re-unites with her when she returns for her grandfather's funeral..the ranch..not farm..is in debt to the bank with no real hope of operating in the black any time soon..Dad (Lance Henrickson) is stuck in the past..raising cattle and breeding them but never getting ahead..and a daughter (Jennie Garth) who has ideas that are solid and detailed for the saving of the ranching business..somewhere they will have to meet in the middle..Throw in M.C.Gainey as best friend/foreman who has known everyone involved since way back when and you have a complex family in dis-array that needs healing and understanding..Gainey, in a scene- stealing portrayal of a loyal family friend rings true and Lance and Jennie deliver a solid performance as father and daughter at odds over ideals..on a small note..a farm is where you raise chickens and maybe cows for milking..but a ranch is a somewhat larger operation requiring herds to feed off the land..an enjoyable outing on the ranch..at any rate..

This is a story about going with your time, keeping families together, and finding love. It is a very simple story, really, and sometimes a little boring. You can tell in the first 15 minutes how it is going to turn out - both love-wise and money-wise!

Still, I liked this movie in some ways. It is homelike and cosy. It maintains family values and old-world ideas. It also has got some humour in it.

It is worth watching a rainy day when you are ill or something. It is a good movie to watch in the company of your children, as there is nothing really unpleasant in it, like violence, gore, sex... It is a true family movie, and your horse-mad daughters are going to love it..!

Grumpy farm guy wants to keep his land, and the money folk trying to take it are all treated as reprehensibly greedy slickers (even though the money people are behaving reasonably and the farm guy is belligerent, violent, and unreasonable). Just once, it would be nice to see one of these movies where the hero is the banker... just trying to do his job and even help the farm guy, while the farm guy is recognized as an intractable jerk (No disrespect to the farming community, it's just that the banking community has had to endure such a beating from these sorts of films, that it would only be fair turnabout!) That said, this film is pretty solid for the genre. While the countryside bears more resemblance to California than Texas, it's still pretty and beautifully shot. By contrasting the three leads' different approaches, the movie actually addresses the fundamental flaw in these movies. The heroine wants to update her father's farming practices, while he is married to tradition. And I may not be a Hallmark Channel kind of guy, but it nice to see a project that is morally clean without totally whitewashing its issues.

The production's greatest strength, though, is the casting of Jennie Garth, Lance Henriksen, and M.C. Gainey. Fine actors all; it's nice to see them cast in roles with the complexity that thespians of their talent deserve. And they all look halfway plausible with the horseriding, as well.

All in all, I wouldn't watch it again, but it certainly is better than a lot of the stuff you might run across on the Hallmark Channel.