Coyote Ugly
Watching stale treats (guilty pleasures for those who aren't in the know,) is like an awful drunken one night stand. At the time, it's enjoyable, a laugh, and you are in the whims of erotic pleasure - letting free all the inhibitions with alcohol coursing through you (this is, after course, enough booze to get you merry yet still compus mentus. It isn't consent if they are passed out or unable to give full consent, folks.) Anyway, the morning after is when the realisation kicks in - you may not have slept with someone quite your type and the handsome admirer beside you, vibrating the room with their snores, and quite frankly make you die a little inside, is - well - ugly, transformed from their attractive form. Unfortunately for you, this beast is also sleeping on your arm. And instead of politely waking them up, enduring the awkward hellos, you'd rather chew your arm off. Watching, and loving, terrible films is like that. Like Coyote Ugly...
The comedy drama, coming of age, take sees a small town girl (living in a lonely world) move to New York to pursue a music writing career because her songs are super rad. Leaving behind a worried father Violet (and she is definitely a shrinking one) heads off to the Big Apple only to find that no one is interested, her apartment is shit, and her stage fright means she can't perform live to strangers and get her work out there. Well, shit. Upon chance, she discovers a job going at a woman run, popular dive bar where they provocatively dance for tips and cool down hot customers causing trouble. Out of her depth, she is taken on, much to the chagrin of the older staff. Can she find her dream? Or will she move back in desperation?
Why is it Bad?
Despite a majority of the action taking place is this rock heavy dive bar, filled with torn jeans and burly men, it's a cheesy girl based film that relies on the overused "star struggling to make it" trope. There's even a wayward relationship that is hampered by lies and jealousy (yet they stay together.) After the initial introductions, the plot stagnates repeating the to and fro of Violet's stage freight and the other side plots aren't embellished enough to warrant any want to care.
Lead actress Piper Perabo is, much like her character, extremely out of her depth here too and fails to be the right level of endearing. In fact, at times she is irritating. What's worse is that the time scale of things happens too quickly to be believable. The time she goes from bar sprite to successful songwriter is at least a year and for anyone who has even tried to snag any sort of artistic career, this is laughable at best.
Why is it Good?
When you just want to switch off, Coyote Ugly offers some sort of relief against the usual humdrum and the complexities that modern cinema offer. Sometimes, despite how unrealistic it may seem, you just want to enjoy Violet’s journey for a while. Look, ok, we are all wide-eyed dreamers and if someone has clueless as Violet can actually make it in this harsh world then we are damn right going to sit down and watch it. It’s like Glee; you know that away from the jazz hands and wde eyed dreamers that, essentially, about one percent are going to make it. But, damn, isn’t it good to dream and feel exhilarated when we scream “you can do it Violet!”
Coyote Ugly is basically one giant music video for LeAnne Rimes' song Can't Fight the Moonlight (man, do you guys remember when it was everywhere?) But when you are gathered with your friends, enjoying the early noughties where chrome fashion outfits and boot cut jeans were all the rage and you were young enough to truly appreciate garbage films, then this is one for you to merrily trot down nostalgia lane and appreciate again. If anything it is mindless fun that will engage your soft spot with the minuscule drama it has and the rock n roll tunes the ladies grind to (if that's what you are into.)
Oh, yeah. And Adam Garcia is in it...That's stompingly good.