THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (1982)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Infectious, over-the-top, and sillier than expected, "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is a fun, innocent musical of sexual freedom in a brothel and Texas politics where politicians expound on nothingness and alleged moral pride. It is nothing more than a goofy parody of madams with big bosoms (Dolly Parton), a Moral Watchdog TV interviewer who wears a little too much sparkle and a bad toupee (Dom DeLuise), and politicians who have nothing to say (a hysterical, scene-stealing Charles Durning plays one such politician). In other words, even today with egotistical politicians running the White House or running Texas, nothing much has changed.
Dolly is Madam Mona, the owner of the long festering 100-year-old Chicken Ranch, a whorehouse where the only sexual play we see is a silhouette through a bedroom curtain. Otherwise, this place is inhabited by merry women who sing and dance in lingerie. The Chicken Ranch itself is about to be closed down by Mr. Moral Boundaries, Melvin P. Thorpe (DeLuise), and he will go tootin' all the way to the Texas governor to make it a reality. It is up to the sharp Ed Earl (Burt Reynolds), the local sheriff who is in love with bosoming, er, blossoming Mona. Can Earl convince the governor not to close it down? Will Earl prove he can right his wrongs when he demeans Mona by calling her a whore? These questions are not answered the way you might expect.
The movie starts with neat little intro to the Chicken Ranch's history and its clientele, with Jim Nabors as Deputy Fred talking directly to the camera. The rest of the movie is packed with wild, busy musical numbers, some more infectious than others. There is sweet chemistry between Reynolds and Parton, particularly when they sing in the bathroom, and their final scenes are tinged with an emotion that is not forced and very honest. The resolution of the Chicken Ranch's future is also handled with emotional restraint, unusual even in the 1980's when Hollywood films went for bigger emotions and sentimentality (which they still do in the 2010 era).
The cast is about as much fun and up to the task of the movie's slight ambitions which, if you think about it, are aimed at being nothing more than a mature love story. Nabors is often unwatchable in most other films (Reynolds' "Stroker Ace" comes to mind) but here he is loose and goofy enough to warrant a few chuckles. DeLuise is precious to watch and never overbearing, which he can be in other films. Reynolds and Parton are a dream team, and Charles Durning (in an Oscar-nominated turn as a tap-dancing governor whom you can't help but love) brings a satirical bent to the material that the movie could've used more of.
"Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is a wholesome movie musical with its heart in the right place. I am no fan of movie musicals but this one is playful and joyous.
