SteveFranklin

Like "It's a Wonderful Life", this is a movie that avoids being overly sentimental by exposing real darkness in the protagonist before she gets the opportunity to miraculously gain a new perspective on herself and the people important in her life. Harry Dean Stanton is heartbreakingly genuine as the Gideon, the Cowboy Angel. As an old fan of John Byner as a comedian/impressionist, I was impressed that I didn't even recognize him in a dramatic character role until I saw the credits. The children's responses as tragedy unfolds are remarkable, simple, direct and real. As a fan of Mary Steenburgen, with a bit of a crush on her when I saw the movie, it was difficult to see her be so convincing as an initially unsympathetic character. This is a film with an edge, perhaps not for the faint of heart or skittish children, but it's the kind of movie I look forward to seeing again and love to introduce to friends.

It's probably 30 years since my last viewing of this, but it is a personal cult classic which I wish I could share with friends. It takes on one of my favorite science fiction premises: the essential question of what makes us human (You can guess that Data was my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation character.) And it really does a wonderful job of exploring that issue (I've never had an aversion to "talky" movies) But, I remember stumbling across this movie one late night and it's one of those that struck me as so stiffly written and acted that I just couldn't stop laughing. The climactic twist ending seemed one of the funny punch lines I've ever heard. It is so sincere and earnest that I could hold no animosity against it. In the so-bad-it's-good genre, it is one of my favorites and I would love a chance to see it again.

I first saw this at a Drive-In. It made me laugh so hard that I fell to the floor. As a 6'3" driver, slipping beneath the steering wheel, this was no minor accomplishmen (nor was disentangling myself and escaping so i could sit up again). I felt the movie delivered one pleasant surprise after another, presenting unpredictable and hilarious situations. The pace seemed to start deliberately slow so that it could steadily build. What some considered uneven pacing stuck me as a gift that allowed me to occasionally catch my breath. Now, if it would only be released on DVD!