Coyote Ugly

Coyote Ugly is one of those films that you can't really enjoy as a fine piece of cinema. It has a used, weak plot, and a lot of the dialogue is kind of corny. But I don't think anybody who goes to see this film really has high expectations for it, anyway. Coyote Ugly failed as a movie, but succeeded where it counts, ahem ahem. That makes this film a little better than average. I enjoyed Coyote Ugly, and think anybody else would, too.

Based on the true story about the crazy female run bar in New York City, Coyote Ugly becomes surprisingly believable despite the usual Hollywood bits. The story follows Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) as she moves from small town New Jersey to the city to become a songwriter. Through her misfortunes she meets boyfriend Kevin O'Donnell (Adam Garcia) and the Coyotes and learns from each of them to overcome the stage fright that threatens to ruin her dreams.

Many moments are sappy or overly dramatic but the majority is enthralling as all the characters are solidly built. The girls all have their own character but aren't so strictly chained to it that they become merely symbols instead of people. While the females may be on the screen the most, the two supporting males Kevin and William Sanford (John Goodman) provide the most heartwarming scenes. Goodman's performance provides subtle humor while his character struggles through the conflict of his daughter leaving and his desire to see her succeed. For an actor who has put in so many great performances, this one still manages to be one of his best.

Coyote Ugly offers something enjoyable to everyone. Guys obviously will enjoy the attractive girls and the provocative dancing while girls can enjoy the strong female characters, each of which won't take crap from any of the men that surround them. Parents can enjoy the side story of the conflict between Violet and her father. Another feature to enjoy is the fabulous music with four songs performed by LeAnn Rimes with some smaller groups as well.

Coyote Ugly crosses the unusual boundary of being both an exciting, fast-paced movie that gets the adrenaline flowing and a sensitive story with strong characters and brilliant acting to get the mind working. The result is a thoroughly rewarding movie experience.

Not much to say about this one. The film is mostly about watching sexy girls dance on a table. Not much of a storyline, just enough to say the movie has a plot. The singing in the film is nice to listen to, but the movie is basically eye candy, the acting is shallow and sometimes cringe worthy. The plot and lines are predictable and cliché. If you're looking to watch a B movie with hot girls basically pole dancing on a table then this is the film for you.

I wonder why many serious film critics go to the trouble of explaining in lengthy and clever reviews why "Coyote Ugly" is not a good film. What did they expect? What do they expect in general of mass-produced teen-targeted entertainment? To challenge, illuminate and move? To elevate the audience to a new esthetic climax? Are them critics familiar with with teens' tastes? I find such criticism superfluous, even self-indulgent. "Coyote Ugly" is simply an instance, undistinguished, of a vast and serious cultural issue. One can address the issue itself and use this movie as an illustration, but taking it at face value and analyzing it out of context is inappropriate. Movies like "Coyote Ugly" do not set out to deliver artistic or original or educational content; so it is unfair to reproach them the fact that they do not deliver such values.

"Coyote Ugly" is a successful movie both commercially and in that it seems to hit all the targets it aims at. This is the standard we should judge it by. Teen-targeted "dramas" could be judged, I propose, by technical merit alone: is the tempo of the movie high enough so that not to bore but low enough so that not to exhaust? are the actors beautiful and charismatic? are the characters simple enough not to create moral ambiguity but complex enough to be believable? is the story predictable enough so that not to challenge but reassure? Smashing soundtrack? Criteria such as these are more suitable. And I think "Coyote Ugly" delivers from this point of view. If there was, and I wonder why it isn't, an Academy Award category for perfunctory entertainment this movie would be a contender.

The most clever scene in Coyote Ugly is when Maria Bello explains why the bar is named what it is. She says it's when a woman wakes up in bed with a man after a one night stand and he's so ugly, but you have your arm around him because last night he seemed hot. Desperate, but not wanting to be rude, instead of pulling your arm out from under him you try to chew it off like a trapped coyote. That my friends, is Coyote Ugly.

It was much to my surprise that Kevin Smith actually did a rewrite of the film's script at one point. I would imagine if Smith's version was made into the final film that it would be less about the girl's bodies and more about their problems. Instead of so many overhead shots of women dancing on one another, soaked in water, comparing wet t-shirts, I'm sure there would've been more sincere dialog between Violet and her friends. Maybe we would've gotten to know them better. It's all one big "maybe." The film centers around Violet (Perabo), an aspiring songwriter trying to make it in the complicated and relentless world of music. She tries to get her demo tape heard, but is always met with reps that blow her off. Violet leaves home and goes to New York to try her look, but realizing she needs to make end's meet, she goes to work at a bar called "Coyote Ugly" where she will entertain customers by seductively dancing on the bar countertop while pouring drinks and showering her and her fellow employees with water. That's the extent of it.

In the meantime, Violet dates a shady guy who she had mistaken for a record exec (Garcia). Let me ask Violet, do you think it's a good idea to date a guy who just tried to pass himself off as a guy who could get you a record deal and doesn't discuss any of his past? Does he seem like the dream guy mothers would want their daughters to date, and could have a good ol' day out with the father? I neglected to mention that the club is run by Lil (Bello). Lil, full name Liliana Lovell, actually runs the real-life Coyote Ugly in New York. Maria Bello was excellent in The Cooler, and does more sure-fire work in this picture. She is still as hilarious as ever, and plays a very strict, yet laidback bartender.

Coyote Ugly, even in possession of a decent storyline, is ruined by its own immaturity. There are too many overhead shots of women on the bar countertop that go nowhere and aren't arousing or entertaining at all. I appreciate John Goodman's role as Violet's protective and caring dad, but the scenes with him are far to spread out and far too short to fully enjoy. I imagine if Kevin Smith was responsible for writing the entire screenplay maybe the movie would've been more about the daddy/daughter relationship rather than the women.

The story isn't gripping, but it works for a while. Until the bar comes into play. Then it's down to twelve year olds controlling the camera. Piper Perabo is gorgeous, and is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood today in terms of looks and acting skills. She still hasn't had that "breakout" role that has taken her career to new heights. Surprisingly, as juvenile as this picture can be, this really didn't jump-start any future projects for her. Nor anyone else in this film.

Starring: Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, Maria Bello, and John Goodman. Directed by: David McNally.