Dancer, Texas Pop. 81

Coming from a small town in West Virginia I was able to understand the plight of the 4 boys. My friends and I also made a similar pact, although ours started with going to college together and then moving to some big city and living a glamorous life. That's why this movie really struck me.

This movie is for anyone who has ever felt like there has to be more out there. It captures both the charms and pitfalls of small town life. In "Dancer" Squirrel and John both find a situation that suits them, giving them a glimmer of hope for the future, while Keller and Terrell Lee both realize that they will never be able to find the happiness they wish for in Dancer, Texas. At one point, though, both almost hit a point of acceptance that this is what their lives are to be and resolve to themselves that they must stay and make the best of it.

The theme through for this movie is that each of us must find what makes us happy, assessing what we have, what we need, what we want and how we're going to balance these. We can't always have everything we want, and sometimes to get something we have to give up something. And furthermore, we have to remember that what is right for one person may not be right for someone else, no matter how much you might wish it is.

Some reviewers have referred to "Dancer, Tex Pop. 81" as a "Last Picture Show"-lite. How wrong. "Last Picture Show" was dark and depressing; focusing on death, decay and lost hope. "Dancer, Tex Pop. 81", although also set in an extremely small Texas town, is about choices, all of them good. It balances the joys and benefits of small-town life against the youthful yearning to experience the unknown. The movie follows the town's high-school graduating class of all of five students; four young men and a lady. Years ago the men had pledged a sacred oath to leave town together for Las Angeles immediately after graduation. Now three of the four are not so sure. To stay or to go? That's it in a nutshell, as a weekend's events unfold before the fateful bus journey. This is a feel-good movie in the tradition of "American Graffiti". Not nearly as good, but certainly good enough for a night's rental.

This movie was a like a trip back home for me. I grew up in West Texas, and I always knew in that process that I would one day leave it. By no plan or design, somehow it happened, in many stages. Ultimately, where did I find myself? In California, of course.

Now looking back with the help of this movie, I see the simple good of the life I lived back then, when life was slow, plodding even, but placid and enjoyable.

Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 provides a window back in time to the life we used to be able to live. I especially enjoyed the halting conversation between the two ranchers, a conversation of one and two word sentences. These two were so tuned into one-another that they needed very few words to express their ideas, thoughts, and concerns. People should be more like that today.

this may not have been the best movie i've ever seen, but it ranks high on my faves. even though the story takes place in a town that does not exist witch is ok by me. It's only a movie right. Actually the real name of the tow it was filmed in is Ft. Davis texas witch is 26 miles from me and if you hear the name of a school called sul ross in this movie i'm here to tell you that school is as real and it's name how do i know this. Because i live in Alpine and did attend sul ross at one point. Anyways i can pretty much relate to keller and all of his buds for wanting to get out of a small town. I mean 81 people?! Now thats to small even for me. But the story does make a lot of scence. And the directior seemed to know what he was doing, even though some scenes dragged out a bit. Anyways i defently feel that this movies relates to thousands of people who live in small towns all across the country and i think that at least 90% will enjoy the movie. This is one movie I highly recommend

OK, for all you people who came from "smalltown, America" who are complaining about this, you should really think about it. This was a really great movie, that shows that you have it all if you just take a look at what you think you are missing. I grew up in Southern Ca, and i moved to a small town when i was 21, but even growing up in a town just shy of a million people, i got an appreciation for it when i left that i would have never had, had i stayed there. This was a great movie, one i would recommend to anyone looking for a good way to spend an evening. not only does it show that a movie can be good without being raunchy and filled with sex, its worth the time that you spend watching it. I would watch it again.