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| Available at Amazon.com |
Young and beautiful women dancing on bars and selling alcohol. What better bar could there be? That is what Liliana Lovell thought when she opened the first Coyote Ugly in New York City. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood would make this subject into a movie, especially after a 1997 GQ article written from a former Coyote Ugly bartender, Elizabeth Gilbert. Add a big-time producer like Jerry Bruckheimer and you have a blockbuster hit from the year 2000. But is there anything more to Coyote Ugly other than the pretty packaging?
In Coyote Ugly, Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) is a naïve, wannabe songwriter, who leaves the home she shares with her father (John Goodman), to move to New York City and take her shot at the big time. With big city life being far from cheap, and with her path to stardom being anything but easy, Violet takes a job at Coyote Ugly, after impressing bar owner Lil (Maria Bello) with her headstrong demeanor. But while Violet soon blossoms behind the bar, her song-writing career stalls when a crippling fear of performing her own songs in public threatens to kill her dream. Enter love interest Kevin O’Donnell (Adam Garcia), who sets out to win her heart and help overcome her fear.
Piper Perabo does a good job as the lead in this film. She has the cute and innocent look that is a great contrast to her other co-workers at the Coyote Ugly bar. Her co-workers played by Tyra Banks, Bridget Moynahan and Izabella Miko are all stereotypes, but at least they look the part. Perhaps the toughest role, but also one of the best, goes to Maria Bello who has to play the bar owner that started it all. There are only two male cast members, but they both also do a serviceable job. The romance between Adam Garcia and Perabo is somewhat believable, which is always a good thing. John Goodman is also a natural as the father figure in the film. The acting really helps this film a lot.
The same can’t be said for the plot. The story is full of clichés and it’s extremely predictable. This film is really a romantic comedy targeted towards the male audience. That might sound like a winning combination, but Coyote Ugly never goes far enough to get the full attention of the male audience it wants.
The biggest flaw of this film is that it’s rated PG-13. A movie like this should have been more than an updated version of Flashdance. It should have pushed the edge and actually dared to be funny. The actors are likable enough, but aren’t given a whole lot to work with. Coyote Ugly is a good popcorn flick that is mildly entertaining, but only teenage girls will want to watch this film over and over again.
The video is presented in 1080p/VC-1 at the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen color ratio, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs of course. The transfer is crisp and clear for the most part. No major problems here, but not the best looking film in high-definition.
The audio included is available in either English Dolby Uncompressed 5.1 Surround sound, English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, French 5.1 Surround sound, or Spanish 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English SDH, Spanish, and French as well. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear. So no major problems here either.
Audio Commentary –
There are two separate full-length commentaries that you have the option of hearing together or separate. One is with the producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, and director, David McNally. This is not as insightful or entertaining as you might think. The other one features Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Tyra Banks, and the other female stars of the film. This is more entertaining, but nothing special.
“Coyote 101” Featurette –
This runs 7 minutes and the cast and crew talk about what it took for the female stars to become real-life “Coyote Ugly” employees. Somewhat interesting.
“Search for the Stars” Featurette –
This runs for 10 minutes and it’s all about how they found the stars for this film. Just your basic “making of” featurette really.
“Inside the Songs” Featurette –
This runs 3 minutes and it’s all about how Leann Rimes, Piper Perabo, and songwriter for the film, Diane Warren, came together to write the songs for the film. Short, but somewhat intriguing.
“Action Overload” Featurette –
This runs for 1 minutes and it’s a bunch of the “action” sequences put together. That’s about it really.
LeAnn Rimes Music Video –
This is your standard music video for a song from the film, “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” by LeAnn Rimes.
Deleted Scenes –
There are 7 minutes worth of scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the film. There is some more racy scenes here, including a nude scene with a body double for Piper Perabo. But nothing you should go out of your way to see.
Only women between the ages of 12 and 30 will probably enjoy this enough to consider buying it. I do recommend a rental, though, as this is an entertaining popcorn film and there are a lot of worse films out there.
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Touchstone Pictures presents Coyote Ugly. Directed by David McNally. Written by Gina Wendkos. Starring Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, John Goodman, Maria Bello, Izabella Miko, and Tyra Banks. Running time: 101 minutes. Rated: Unrated. Released on DVD: April 1, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
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