The Last Cowboy

6.9 stars.

Not a bad film in and of itself, but I seen much better westerns in my time. First thing, in the first scenes it sets itself up to look like a western, no cars, no electricity, nothing modern is seen for several minutes. They are burying grandpa, and everyone shows up on horseback and wagons, including a woman (played by Garth) who is estranged from her daddy (Henriksen) now going on 8 years. She has a lot of things to say to her daddy and his first hand (Gainey) and she brought along a man that has been her friend for years (Cooper). I am surprised to see Bradley Cooper in one of his earliest major roles, and it's a Hallmark movie no less! Well, he has a two bit part, it's not much of a character really. This film is just not much more than a B rated modern western, and there isn't much depth to it unfortunately. I've always loved Jennie Garth all the way back to 90210, when she was my favorite for a while.

This is a story about going with your time, keeping families together, and finding love. It is a very simple story, really, and sometimes a little boring. You can tell in the first 15 minutes how it is going to turn out - both love-wise and money-wise!

Still, I liked this movie in some ways. It is homelike and cosy. It maintains family values and old-world ideas. It also has got some humour in it.

It is worth watching a rainy day when you are ill or something. It is a good movie to watch in the company of your children, as there is nothing really unpleasant in it, like violence, gore, sex... It is a true family movie, and your horse-mad daughters are going to love it..!

An early diamond in the rough Hallmark movie that outclasses what they do today. I look at Hallmark movies for 3 things: premise, character development, and execution. I cannot speak for the technical aspects of the movie that may be in other reviews. The premise is straightforward: daughter hasn't been home in a long time returns when her grandfather died. She learns the ranch is in dire financial straits and will be repossessed by the banks. Garth plays the estranged daughter with a child and Hendrickson plays the grumpy, stubborn father-ranch owner. You have Bradley Cooper in it but his contribution is obviously before his "love interest" roles. He is relegated to second string to play a somewhat contributing part when the ranch is saved at the end. Gainey plays the old, loyal, dependable ranch hand who is the mediator in the film seeking and understanding and balance between Garth and Hendrickson. The other parts are people being brought in to help the ranch or the banker for the repossession. Good character development that supports the premise and makes it a good film from an emotional standpoint. The movie has a nice balance for tension and development. All the movie pieces i.e. scenes of bank meeting interruption, real estate agent introduction, barn fire, bank negotiations did not overshadow the movie by skimming over crucial details or bogging it down with the unnecessary emotional baggage. The movie had some pretty cinematic sceneries of the mountings and ranch. But as mentioned in other reviews, it wasn't Texas, but it doesn't matter. The movie's pacing was pretty good considering the themes here. The movie could have slowed down considerably if it was to become too introspective. Lastly, the acting was good and even for everyone's part although some characters could have been stereotypical and one dimensional. Gainey I thought played his role the best with providing both dramatic and comedic moments. Overall, Hallmark lost its way by going away from this movie recipe that didn't involve romance or typical romcom hang ups.

The Last Cowboy tells a story with a predictable plot we've seen many times, but still find interesting. A large landowner with property held by a family for years is now in jeopardy, sought after by greedy bankers, financiers, and other bad guys who plan stealing and subdividing the valuable land to make an ill-gained fortune. The family patriarch has recently died, and it's up to the remaining family members to "save the farm." Two required components of any good movie are the screenplay (the script writers' product) and the acting/direction (the actors and their director). Both are successful in this movie. The screenplay and dialogue are very good and believable, and the actors (this movie has a bunch of exceptional actors) do a very good job executing their roles under some excellent directing.

This is an excellent movie to watch with your children. Although the main female character is unmarried but has a child (and she is initially estranged from her father), parents watching along with their children will have an easy time explaining the situation because the female leading character is so "at ease." This movie does a great job showing different family arrangements and interactions, and even young children will understand and not be disturbed.

They may be better looking than most ranchers but the story is what rings the bell sweet and true. Even if it never happens quite like this except in the movies, it is still worth watching and believing that it is possible to have work that one loves and save it with an idea and with love, love of the family, love of friends and love of the land. I loved this movie and everyone associated it with it. I especially love Lance Henriksen, who proves that a man can keep his charm for a very, very long time. Great fun to watch and enjoy. This is worth a thousand "rom-com" movies that fall flatter than the proverbial pancake. It may be more of a rom-life but I'll take it any day. Love the feeling it gives and the love that it shares.