Texas Heart

I enjoyed watching Texas Heart, it had several funny moments and the joke about the pie is quite the zinger. With enough suspense to hold you until the end, you'll find some solid performances by the cast. What I particularly enjoyed was the performance of the mentally challenged Tigger. This could easily be an over the top SNL skit, but it was played with finesse and the proper tone. The dog kinda fell flat in his performance as Buddy. The lead actor, he was good too, but the thugs chasing him could have been more menacing, but the courtroom scenes come off as convincing.

Overall I recommend Texas Heart.

Might be what you'd get if Bill Forsythe's Local Hero ventured into John Grisham territory about a city slicker lawyer who finds his true purpose and redemption in a small Texas town. Heartfelt, soulful, gripping and gut-wrenching, Texas Heart grabs you with a tense, rapid fire opening courtroom scene and never lets go. It works so well because, as other reviewers have said, the script, acting, editing and overall production values (other than a tad underpopulated final courtroom scene) are all first rate. The dialogue really crackles. Favorite line: "That's what you get for messin' with Texas!" Great to see John Savage in a meatier role than his cameo in Return to Twin Peaks. Lin Shaye is a terrific, take-no-prisoners villain. The movie has a wonderful feel for small town life and great affection for its denizens, even the losers. It's like sinking into a great novel. The denouement is pretty damn unlikely but undeniably satisfying. Hey, it's a movie that believes in fate. And its heart, its great big Texas heart, is always in the right place.

The reason I love indie movies is this: A story told without the budget to make a mediocre story look better with the glitzy tricks of post-production polishing. And this is a good example. A story. Some good characters. Some moments of good acting. Moments of laughter and touching moments. Yes, in all honesty mixed with some poor acting, some caricatures and some predictability. Which are all found in a series like Dynasty. At the end of the day, who really cares. You don't read James Joyce every day. Sometimes you just want a David Baldacci. This is not a brilliant movie by any stretch, but it is watchable and enjoyable.

I watched a lot of indie films this week, including Texas Heart. I read all the good reviews and all the bad ones. I don't get the low reviews on this one. My barometer of a film is whether I can walk away from it part way through. Texas Heart wouldn't let me go get a snack, and that's an unusual thing. Some of the acting in the Southern town may seem exaggerated to those who don't live in one- but I live in a place where when you move in, someone may very well turn up on your front porch with a home backed pecan pie. The cinematography was top notch and the editing and pacing was spot on. A few weaknesses as in any indie film, but well worth your time to watch.

Predictability: 10/10 Script: 3/10 Acting: 2/10 Please ... Don't waste your time.