Movie Review: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)

WELL, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN PROUD OF THE WAY NATURE SINGLED ME OUT. IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DEFORMED BY SOCIETY I FEEL SORRY FOR.

-Sissy Hankshaw-

There are not major spoilers in this review!

Even Cowgirls Like Big Thumbs

If you’ve ever heard of Tom Robbins (not Tim Robbins, the actor), you will know he writes from his southern heart and with a flair of comedy twisted into satire. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is the movie version of his book. I’m not sure if you can call it a cult classic since the bad movie reviews have seemed to not lose its adhesive over the years. I finally watched this movie despite liking Gus Van Sant’s movies. There was something about seeing a pre-Sopranos Lorraine Bracco, pre-John Wick Keanu Reeves, and was that really John Hurt as the Countess? Listening to k.d. lang powerful voice throughout the movie didn’t hurt either.

The Breakdown of Having Big Thumbs

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is the story of a hitchhiker named Sissy Hankshaw, played by Uma Thurman. As she travels across the U.S., she does what the Countess wants and travels to a ranch in California. There she gets acquainted with the cowgirls and the whooping cranes. She meets one eccentric person after another whether it be Bonanza Jellybean, Delores Del Ruby, or The Chink (racist language, I know). Whether she finally rejects her wandering lifestyle or accepts settling down, her thumbs will always be a blessing and a curse. The main cast is Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, Rain Phoenix, John Hurt, and Keanu Reeves. This comedy/drama/romance is rated R and has a running time of one hour and 46 minutes.

Watch the Trailer

Overall View of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

I seem to have a pattern of watching movies that fizzled at the box office. Although this one was from a long time ago. How old were you in 1993? Were you even born yet? Did you just have your second child and thinking of the days when life wasn’t as complicated as now? I want to believe this movie was not critiqued harshly because of homosexuality, drug usage, and animal rights but because there seemed to be too much disjointedness. Sometimes books are hard to translate well into movies. This seems to be one of them. For all the mishaps, I’m glad I watched it. I just wish it was longer overall in order to highlight better developed scenes, more conflict between characters, and less gimmicky appearing motives. I’m not sure this makes sense but it’s what I came up with. It’s fitting because 2021 already has me searching for personal meaning and purpose beyond what I already know.

I rate Even Cowgirls get the Blues THREE FINGERS of GOOD at 75%.