I was sure that I was going to love The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I mean, how could you go wrong with Bury Reynolds (Smokey and the Bandit) and Dolly Parton (9 to 5) in the lead roles? Well, I watched this for the first time recently, and…. I thought it was ok. Perhaps my expectations were too high based on the cast. It certainly had a few moments, but this movie just never really grabbed me.
How to Download The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was released on July 23, 1982. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
The movie is about The Chicken Ranch. The Chicken Ranch is a brothel in Texas that is not a seedy place at all, it is clean, the people there are friendly and it is a real staple of the community. The Chicken Ranch is run by Miss Mona Stangley, a former “working girl” who now runs the place and is a real pillar of the community. Dolly is a lot of fun as Mona, easily my favorite character in the movie.
On the flip side of this, we have the sheriff of the county, Ed Earl Dodd who is played by Burt Reynolds. Now, you would think that Ed would want the Chicken Ranch shut down, but for over a decade, Ed and Mona have been in a secret relationship. Ed looks out for Mona and manages to keep “the law” away from the Chicken Ranch.
The Conflict in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Well, turns out that there is going to be an expose on the Chicken Ranch and it looks like the place could be forced to close down. As you would expect, this causes a great deal of tension between Ed and Mona and to be fair, Ed truly does all that he can to try and save the Chicken Ranch.
Does The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Hold Up?
The thing is, I just never felt all that invested in the plot here. I thought the secret relationship between Ed and Mona was interesting but despite the Chicken Ranch looking like the most fun place ever. I never really cared all that much about them potentially shutting the place down if that makes sense.
There are some fun musical numbers here, but I am writing this around a week after I watched the movie and honestly, off the top of my head, I cannot tell you the actual title of any of the musical numbers. They were certainly not bad, but they just did not wow me like some other musicals have over the years. The acting in the movie is decent enough and there is a great cast with the likes of Dom Delouise, Charles Dunning, and Jim Nabors.
Final Thoughts on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
I get that some people love The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and it certainly has some charm, but this just wasn’t for me. I like some musicals and I liked many of the actors that were in this movie, but there was just something that stopped it from clicking with me. Hey, I wish I could tell you what exactly that was, but sometimes things click for some people and not for others. I certainly would not argue with anyone who said that they love this movie as I can see why some would, especially if they are a big fan of Dolly Parton.
