Comments on: Rancho Deluxe (1975)

By: humphrey bogart

humphrey bogart — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 08:30:25 +0000

I just saw Rancho Deluxe for the first time. It’s 2009 and the film was released in 1975. Well, all I can say is that I loved the film. I love the scenery, the actors, the acting, the direction, the script. There’s just one thing. I can’t find any pictures of Charlene Dallas on the web…not ONE! She was a smokin hot babe in that movie, and I’d like to find a poster of her, or something. I know she was in a few other films, but no images on the web. I am amazed that the image of such a formidable femme remains absent, and unrepresented on the world wide web. Oh well. Great blog.

By: Joe Valdez

Joe Valdez — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:48:53 +0000

Phil: Wow, Iâ€™m sure glad we both liked this movie. Yeah, all Iâ€™m saying here is that in the realm of low key, goofy natured movies, is one of the greats. Thatâ€™s the frame the film really worked for me. Itâ€™s not Animal House, but it does have a sarcastic charm that I liked. Joe: Thanks for your compliment! From what Iâ€™ve read about McGuaneâ€™s lifestyle and chemical balance at the time, your story sounds right to me. Iâ€™ve never seen The Missouri Breaks, but now Iâ€™m intrigued. Perhaps a Jack Nicholson festival is in order. Megan: Let me know if you find Rancho Deluxe worthy of my appraisal. And thanks for commenting!

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:29:56 +0000

I had never heard of this movie before. I think I’ll check it out!

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:20:48 +0000

Yipes! Apologies, Joe, for misspelling McGuane’s name. Not once but twice!

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:39:37 +0000

Joe–

FYI. A bit of trivia for you. Although it is not widely known, McQuane rewrote his script the following year, in 1976, for Arthur Penn’s “The Missouri Breaks.” If you look closely, the plots are identical. What’s different between the two films is that McQuane scrambled his characters, including their sexes, so that they seem like two distinctly different films. Both films were, of course, released by United Artists. Beau Bridges, brother of Jeff, told me this years ago. (BTW, if you happen to view the two films back-to-back, it helps to have a paper and pencil handy so that you can outline everything and see the striking similarities.) One more thing: Great blog!

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:41:40 +0000

I realize that you like Rancho Deluxe (I do too) and that maybe this one sentence was not meant to be taken this way, but I’m compelled to point out that when you say “If the object of a movie was to be as low key and goofy as possible, Rancho Deluxe would be a masterpiece” you are making an entirely erroneous statement. There is no – and I repeat NO – limit to the “object” of the medium of film and certainly no one, single (or even just a set, predetermined range of) object(s) that all or ANY film should be judged by. Movies are just movies, you can do ANYTHING with them that film is capable of. Your statement suggests that being “low key and goofy” is somehow an invalid object for any film to pursue. This points to the conclusion that by adopting “low key and goofy” as its “object” this somehow limits Rancho Deluxe, not to mention any other film that might fall outside your list of approved “objects” that movies are permitted to pursue. The simple fact is that, in the realm of “low key and goofy” movies, Rancho deluxe IS a “masterpiece.” At the very least, there is no barrier to making this conclusion or holding this opinion because, like I said, there are no set objects that any film should ever be held to except those objects that it holds before itself. If a thriller is boring or a comedy unfunny, then it’s a failure in some sense, but if a “low key and goofy” movie is actually low key and goofy in a sublime and unique fashion (like Rancho Deluxe) then it’s a success, or a masterpiece, depending on your personal standards and linguistic preferences. Let Rancho Deluxe BE Rancho Deluxe and don’t demand that it be anything else other than what it is, and grant all other movies the same right.