Review of Love Ranch (2010) by Shtivelman M — 20 Jul 2010

While Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren shine in the film, the film itself needed some fixing up. The film needed a rewrite. It felt a little off track at times. It was dealing with too much and they never found the right tone and balance for everything. Helen Mirren is wonderful in her role. It was great seeing Pesci on the screen again. it has been awhile since I last saw him on the big screen (his cameo in The Good Shepard). Pesci and Mirren have a great on screen chemistry.

The film kind of reminded me of films like People Vs Larry Flynt and Million Dollar Baby, only those films were much better than this one. Taylor Hackford has done better directing with films like An Officer and A Gentleman and Ray than this film. It would have been interesting to see how Mirren's character and Pesci's character first met and hooked up and later formed the Ranch. However, the film doesn't do that.

Overall, the film is worth checking out for Mirren's and Pesci's performances.