Cowboys Don't Cry

Cowboys Don't Cry offers the proposition that if they don't cry, there are occasions they should. Such is the tale of the Morgan family which is a rodeo family.

Father Ron White is a two time champion bullrider who is starting the down side of his career. Mother Rebecca Jenkins is a barrel racing rodeo queen and their son Joshua Ansley also earns some money in the junior steer riding events. Dad's a bit of a hellraiser, but otherwise they're a happy family.

That is until a drunken white won't let Jenkins be a designated driver one night and the family piles up in a wreck with Jenkins killed. After that the descent for White as a bullrider quickens as he buries himself in alcohol. There are days when the only brought in is when his son wins the steer riding events.

Four years pass and the son is now played by Zachary Ansley and his maternal grandfather leaves him his small ranch as a legacy with his father as guardian until he's 18. Big mistake right there, but I'm betting that the grandfather had no one else.

Young Zach assumes the responsibility of the ranch with his father now an alcoholic who won't give up dreams of rodeo glory.

This production from Canada is a fine family film with the cast giving some sincere performances. The ending was a bad one though. I'll only say as a family who were rodeo performers, what happens in the end never should have occurred.

Rodeo bull-riding star Ron White (as Josh Morgan) and his more grounded wife Rebecca Jenkins (as Lucy Edwards) have formed a perfectly balanced relationship, traveling on the road with son Joshua Ansley (as Shane).

Then, tragedy strikes…

Based on the popular (particularly among teenagers) novel by Marilyn Halvorson, "Cowboys Don't Cry" turns out to be a very predictable film. However, director Anne Wheeler and her father/son co-stars make Ms. Halvorson's already appealing story believable. A couple of the ending events are obvious; they are (thankfully) left out completely. The film emphasizes the conflict between Mr. White and Zachary Ansley (as 14-year-old Shane) and (necessarily) drops some strong original material. If this were made today, the high school bullying of Mr. Ansley would be included. The story is a strong one for post-teenage children, who will relate to the strong, realistic characters and messages - chiefly, your parents are not perfect, but it doesn't mean they don't love you.

Both White and young Ansley were nominated for "Genies" (the Canadian "Oscar") in the leading "Best Actor" category in Canada; a good call, though the dual consideration certainly diminished their winning chances.

******* Cowboys Don't Cry (5/10/88) Anne Wheeler ~ Ron White, Zachary Ansley, Janet-Laine Green, Candace Ratcliffe