# Coyote Ugly (2000)

### reviewed by
Berge Garabedian

    COYOTE UGLY
    RATING: 6.5/10 --> So-so

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This film can now officially be crowned as the first "trailer-tease" that I have ever witnessed. What's a "trailer-tease", you may ask? Well, consider another derogatory term that some men use to describe some women who tease them sexually and then give them NOTHING in return (starts with a C, boys and girls). Of course, my first clue should've been the PG-13 rating.

It's sad too, because this really could have been a great movie had they concentrated more on the bar, the chicks, the sex, the swearing, the drinking, and all of the other fun stuff that the trailer makes you think is packed into this movie. Unfortunately, the movie itself concentrates more on the sappy ho-hum plot about this small-town girl trying to make it in the big city. Yawn...

PLOT: A small-town girl moves to the big city with hopes and dreams of making it as a singer/songwriter. But when times get tough, she gets a job at a local, rowdy bar and starts kinda liking her new digs. At the same time, she falls for a guy who's intent on helping her singing career take off.

CRITIQUE: Uneven. Splashed with various energetic bar scenes, this movie loses power when focusing on its sappy plotline. Its awesome soundtrack makes you want to get up, toss a few shots back and grab your neighbor by the hand, but not before the awful music sung by the main character drains us right out of it again. Boy, I sooooo wish this movie took place entirely in the bar, focused more on all of the girls and included some authentic swearing and sexual gratuity (okay, maybe not so much the last two items, but definitely the first two!). Unfortunately, the high energy of the bar, its music, its bartenders and its clientele are a lot of fun to watch when they do frolic across the big screen, but the sad-sack love story and regurgitated "I wanna be a star" byline, just zoom you right back down this rollercoaster ride. And where the hell was Tyra Banks?!? How dare the filmmakers spray her assets across the posters, the website, the TV commercials and barely give her ten minutes of screen time? More Tyra, people!! And what about the rest of the girls? They're all so pretty but what's their story? God knows, because this movie focuses solely on the lead big-lipped girl named Piper Perabo, a semi-interesting character, who unfortunately is not enough to carry an entire movie.

I will offer my thumb up to this film's extremely potent soundtrack, the excellent gritty look and feel of New York City, the bar itself, and its high, high energy level when in the bar! Too bad that my thumb has to do a loop-de-loop for the film's stinky "real music" sung by the lead, the by-the-numbers story of her trying to "make it in the big city" and the lack of character development for any of the other girls! (they're people, too...sniff, sniff). If you really want to see a good movie about a small-town girl trying to break into the music biz, rent THE THING CALLED LOVE, a wonderful drama featuring River Phoenix's final performance, and thank me in the morning (Note: the music in that film is country...you have been warned). Overall, I really liked the performances in this film: Maria Bello was perfect as the tough lady running the unruly bar, Perabo was good, but after seeing her in ROCKY & BULLWINKLE, I'm hoping that she gets rid of that "confused, shy" look real fast, cause it's already getting old. The Australian love-interest was also effective and John Goodman perfect as the overweight daddy with a big heart. And look for a very funny scene featuring Ellen Cleghorne as a pissed-off secretary. You go, girl!

In the end, I would probably recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't mind being titillated for little bits and pieces, only to be brought back down by the reality of the very hokey plot. Great fashions, great soundtrack...the bar scenes alone might actually be worth it, but prepare to take those blue balls home, fellas!

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Pay close attention to the man portraying a photographer in this film because he is none other than ARMAGEDDON, THE ROCK and PEARL HARBOR director, and Jerry Bruckheimer favorite, Michael Bay. Yes, there really is a COYOTE UGLY bar in New York City. It is located on 1st Avenue in the heart of the East Village, and has been around for about 10 years. The bar in the movie is similar in design to the real one, but many other drinking establishments were visited in Manhattan and surrounding areas, in order to devise the look of the film's fictionalized bar (wow, I wonder whose "difficult" job that was?). All the singing done by Piper Perabo in this movie was voiced by singer LeAnn Rimes, who also makes a cameo appearance near the end of the film. This is director David McNally's motion picture debut. He joins us from the world of television commercials (a Bruckheimer prodigy from TV commercials...who would have guessed?), with his most popular one featuring a certain "Lobster" in a Budweiser commercial. He dropped out of college to tour with his popular Canadian rock band "The Pinups" (Uuhm, I'm Canadian but I ain't ever heard of them) and even directed a couple of Celine Dion music videos (but we forgive him, don't we?).

THE COYOTES: Piper Perabo won the title role in this film after an extensive cross-country search. She's a graduate of Ohio University, and was actually born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey. Maria Bello is probably best known for her role as the passionate and headstrong Dr. Anna Del Amico on TV's "ER". Izabella Miko makes her American motion picture debut with this picture, even though she has been working virtually her entire life. Born and raised in Poland, she aspired to become a professional dancer and at the age of seven began studying at the Chopin Music School. Bridget Moynahan is probably best known for her recurring role of Mr. Big's fiancee Natasha on the HBO series "Sex in the City". Tyra Banks, probably the best-known of the coyotes (and for her coyotes!), is an international fashion icon whose image can be seen around the world (so why not give her more screen-time, you dummies!?). She is a model, an actress and an author.

    Review Date: August 2, 2000
    Director: David McNally
    Writer: Gina Wendkos
    Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman
    Actors: Piper Perabo as Violet Sandford
    Adam Garcia as Kevin
    Maria Bello as Lil
    Genre: Drama
    Year of Release: 2000
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    (c) 2000 Berge Garabedian

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