Since I am a single and not looking twenty something northeastern computer geek, I guess my opinion could be biased considering that I found it hard to identify with southern adulterous middle-agers. Mellencamp consistently tries to represent the good old mommas and poppas of the heartlands, but he comes off more as a cerebral redneck with loads of creative energy and no clear direction. I give this movie one cow out of five.
shareI love Mellencamp and his music but this movie just made small town folks look like total idiots, jerks, and whores. What a shame!
shareThis movie came out so long ago that I doubt anybody will read this, but: it wasn't Mellencamp's story. It was based on Larry McMurty's story. McMurty has written other things with the theme of the boredom and desperation in small country towns. Didn't he write the screenplay for "The Last Picture Show?" Don't blame the themes on Mellencamp. You know, as a beginning actor/director, Mellencamp did not do that badly.
shareI'm from a small town in southern Indiana and this movie is extremely realistic. And I don't consider it to be insulting or degrading, either; just factual. Furthermore, not every character in the movie is immoral. The movie shows a wide variety of people and doesn't have any heroes or villains, just people who are having normal struggles. And while the adultery could have been soap opera like, it's presented with an understanding of the psychology behind the adulterous relationships. For example, PJ (Kay Lenz) seems to consider her sexual encounters with two rich and powerful men, Speck (Claude Akins) and Bud (Mellencamp), as conquests, as well as a source of excitement for a housewife and mother in what she considers to be a boring town. I tell my friends from all over the world to watch this movie to get a sample of what things were like where and when I grew up.
share