
Goin' South
THE STORY:
In the late 1860s, the outlaw named Henry Lloyd Moon (Jack Nicholson) is about to be hanged in Longhorn, Texas - to the great amusement of the locals, plus the deputy sheriff (Christopher Lloyd) and his sidekick (John Belushi) too.
Moreover, Moon comes under especially close inspection from some of the women in this town, due to a local ordinance dating back to Civil War days.
You see, this ordinance allows a condemned man (short of being a murderer) to be saved from the gallows, if an unmarried lady would marry him and be responsible for his good behavior.
Thankfully, for Moon, anyway, he is saved from hanging by the intervention of Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) - because this headstrong southern virgin needs him to help her work the gold mine, which is situated on her property
Now, over time, both Moon and Julia grow closer and closer together. Apart from the numerous diggings in which they both partake in – they entertain other ordinance couples – they get to know one another's ways – and finally, they develop a mutual distaste for the railroad company, which wishes to take Julia's land away from her.
Regrettably, though, when Julia and Moon finally strike gold, out of the wilderness, Moon's old gang of outlaws shows up at Moon's home, which is why what next transpires is a rather rancorous affair. As a kafuffle ensues - a gang becomes bemused - the law comes into play - and the railroad has track to lay.
Kind of.
THE REVIEW:
Personally speaking, I was very charmed by Jack Nicholson's directorial debut, 'Goin' South'. For a start, it's kind of like a rom-com, even though it was made before this phase was commonly used. Next, it was interesting to know about the very real law of ordinance partnerships - as after the Civil War, men were few in America, decreeing outlaws could be saved by spinsters and such. Plus, on top of that, it was nice to see Jack, John, Chris, Danny, and Mary, all on screen together - back in the day.
However, this does have its drawbacks.
You see, even though Jack does a fine job playing the outlaw with a heart of gold and mind of dirt, while Mary Steenburgen plays the virgin spinster to a tea, my only problem with this film is that some of the other members of the cast weren’t utilised more fully. Well, come on - there's Belushi, Lloyd, and DeVito, for crying out loud. All great comedic actors, playing subservient roles that any 10th-rate stage hand could play. I just wish that Jack could have utilized them more fully.
In my most humble opinion, this could have made this OK comedy western into a classic comedy western. The pretext was good – the story was good – the directing (by Jack) and camerawork were good too... and that’s why this film is... just good.
It's a shame, really, as I hoped more would have come from this great bunch of smashing thespians. Just look at their past wares, and tell me that as a team, this film could not have been pure gold - so to speak. Belushi, Lloyd, and DeVito, are all cartoonish giants in the field of comedy. Jack is the rogue that every woman wants to sink her claws into. And Mary is a diamond who you would want to see in the rough, hint, hint.
Damn, I'd best get off my soapbox now, or else you may feel that I do not like 'Goin' South'. It is a great film, and well worth watching if you like your seventies films tinged with a classy cast and a simple storyline.
A good movie - but I would have liked to have seen it with a bit more sparkle.
THE RATING: B+
GOIN’ SOUTH
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
January 09, 2012
Rating:
