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Shirlee Kenyon (Dolly Parton) leaves her small town and deadbeat boyfriend (Michael Madsen!) for the big city (Chicago). She loves giving advice to people. She accidentally gets on the radio one day and starts giving callers her honest, kind advice about their love lives and such. She is immediately a hit (just like real life huh?) and becomes wildly popular. Investigative reporter Jack Russell (James Woods--yes THAT James Woods) starts looking into her past and slowly starts to fall in love.

The story is ridiculous and familiar at the same time but I DID like this movie. Parton's charm and acting (I think she's good) carry this film through its rough spots. The story moves quickly and (if you don't think about it TOO much) it's actually not too bad. Also Parton sings a few nice (if unmemorable) songs. The title track was supposed to be a hit but didn't make it. The only negative thing about this is Woods. Now, he's a great actor but casting him as a romantic lead just doesn't work. He's uncharacteristically frantic and seems uncomfortable. Still he does try. Casting Madsen as Parton's boyfriend was another bad choice. Look for a young Teri Hatcher at the beginning before she hit it big with "Lois and Clark".

I was one of the few people to see this in a theatre. There was virtually no advertising and the movie disappeared quickly. The studio dumped it completely...but it's not THAT bad. If you hate Parton steer clear of this. But, if you like her, you'll get a kick out of this. I give this a 7.

Shirlee Kenyon (Dolly Parton) loses her job for talking too much with the dance students. She loves giving advice. She is tired of her small town and her dismissive unemployed boyfriend Steve (Michael Madsen). She packs up for Chicago. She's trying to retrieve $20 she dropped on a bridge when reporter Jack Russell (James Woods) mistakenly jumps in to save her thinking she's trying to jump. She gives Janice (Teri Hatcher) advice which she uses to break up with boyfriend Jack Russell. Next, Shirlee gets a radio station receptionist job. She is mistaken for the new radio talk show doctor that manager Alan Riegert (Griffin Dunne) had hired. Riegert fires both Shirlee and the producer. Her small town charm makes her a big success and Riegert has to rehire her but only if she pretends to be a doctor which the owner demanded.

The story is a bit hokey but Dolly Parton has that sweet aw-shucks personality. It works for her. It has her down home charms. The movie has some light fun. It doesn't have big laughs but it's a sweet rom-com.

Dolly starts out working at a dance hall but gets fired by her boss (played by John Sayles) and is sick of her abusive boyfriend (Michael Madsen) so she leaves for Chicago with his bowling ball.

Through a highly improbable set of circumstances, she becomes a radio 'therapist'; it comes easy to her since she's thoughtful, has common sense and some down-home charm. Soon she has a national following as 'Dr. Shirley.'

Soon she has James Woods' reporter following her around. He smells a story and thinks she might be a fake but cannot prove it. He also falls for her.

Comedy is supplied by Griffin Dunne's maniac/radio station exec, a very funny scene with Dr. Shirley on a talk show, and the chemistry between James Woods & Dolly Parton, two actors you might not think of in the same galaxy but who work together very well.

Small movie has a lot going for it. 7/10.

There's something about this movie that keeps bringing you back for more. I bought the video used for about three bucks (the price is why I bought it!) and was pleasantly surprised. And watch it again and again and again. I notice other viewers who have done the same and can't help but wonder what it is. I have even seen lines from this movie quoted in magazines (attributed to Dolly rather than the script writer)!

There are some gaping goofs, of course. Suddenly "Jack" says "you probably think you just heard a doorbell", although no doorbell has rung at all (maybe they fixed that in later releases)! Also, nobody but Shirlee and her boss "Alan" is supposed to know that she is not a doctor despite the fact that the receptionist took her resume filled with occupations such as "bartender, waitress, waitress, dance instructor..." There are others. But even so, you keep coming back for more.

A few of the one-liner bit parts have awful acting skills, but even so.

So, what is it about this movie? Maybe it's the sound track. I hate C/ W but the all-Dolly soundtrack is wonderful and her songs fit each situation as if it were a musical. Also, Dolly is a very believable actress despite the very unbelievable situation. Believing Dolly is a shrink is like believing Whoopi is a nun. You know it's ludicrous, but they somehow get you to accept it and enjoy. You want to believe it!

Some of her advice is like Zen, for example the one about women and corn flakes: you just don't get it. There is a lot you just don't get in this movie. But you still love it. That's a lot like loving a person, I guess.

Shirlee (Parton) loses her job and breaks up with her boyfriend all in one day. She decides to start over in Chicago, but when she sets out to answer phones in a radio station, she's mistaken for the new advice guru, and she's a hit! While it turns out that her gift for giving advice is finally taking her places, the reporter who is investigating her wants to find out why she's qualified to give advice. If they can get past their fighting and annoying each other, they might just be perfect for each other.

This is one of my favorite Dolly movies. I love her early 90's outfits and her big hair, and she's so relatable as a girl trying to start over and get a life going for herself in Chicago. She's known for her witty bon mots and positive life philosophy from her various interviews, and here she is given free reign to express that part of her personality and it works. She's funny and kind, and down to earth.

This film has higher production values than some of her other films, and it shows as she's teamed up with a good script and other actors like Griffin Dunne, James Woods and Michael Madsen, amd more, who are all old hands. She gets to show off her comic timing and her characteristic warmth, and plays well against the more experienced performers. James Woods is great as the guy out for a story who learns what really matters when he meets Dolly's character Shirlee. I personally feel like he's a very unlikely romantic lead, not being conventionally attractive or warm, and yet you can believe he'd be a hard boiled Chicago reporter.

This film is warm and sweet, like home cooked apple pie. It's not particularly novel in it's approach to the rom com plot or genre, but it really hits the spot. It's heart warming and funny, and has enough going on to keep you interested, and Dolly's go-getter attitude and strong sense of self make her a more interesting romantic heroine than most. If you're a Dolly fan, this is one of her best.

See It If: you've ever wanted to break free and start over, or if you're the person all your friends go to for advice. A lovely, funny film with early 90's charm.