Saddle Up for Adventure with Hearts of the West (1975)
If you’ve seen our previous reviews, you may have noticed that we have a 3-time Red Carpet VIP with an active recommendation streak – @JSWriter65. We here at MovieSlap are not secretly funded by wealthy corporate stiffs with agendas, and thus are never afraid to share our most candid and sincere feedback on the films we discuss – even if that means calling it out for the stinker it truly is and not giving it a second thought or feeling the least bit bad about doing so. As we’ve alluded to in the past, as much as we appreciate our most prolific contributor to date, and the fantastic suggestions he’s passed along, chances are it’s only a matter of time until his streak will come to an end. He’s 3 for 3 so far…can he keep his run going? Let’s find out, as we discuss the 1975 film, Hearts of the West!
Jeff Bridges is so fresh-faced and youthful here, that I posted a brief clip of the film on the official MovieSlap Twitter page and challenged users to identify the actor and film, and only one person came back with the correct answer. (A special MovieSlap shoutout to @KarelJ on Twitter!) Bridges plays an idealistic and curious lover of westerns in 1930’s Iowa, who, as an aspiring writer, decides to trek out west to Nevada in order to connect with a correspondence university for writers, set in the “silver-veined Shoshone Mountains”. After arriving at the local train station in Titan, Nevada, he can’t help but find the layout a bit different than he had expected. Upon realizing that no such campus exists, and seemingly more angry than disheartened, he embarks on a mission to get to the bottom of things, and in doing so, becomes wrapped up with a pair of criminals who are actively perpetuating the writing opportunity scam.
One thing i find slightly ironic when watching older films such as this (and particularly when it’s a @JSWriter65 recommendation) is how refreshing and unique the story feels. You’d think that older films viewed today would suffer from perceived lack of originality, given how many films since (in this case) 1975 would have borrowed or been inspired by concepts and themes from the past. But Hearts of the West was pleasantly new to me, and while I’m sure there is conceptual lineage to be found, it never stood out in any way during the viewing. I find that kind of cool. And speaking of cool, if you are quick on the draw with your eyes, fans of the hit comedy show, WKRP in Cincinnati, will notice a brief appearance by the coolest sales manager in the land (even if only in his mind), one Herb Tarlek, played by the late Frank Bonner. In more robust supporting roles are star of stage and screen Alan Arkin, television legend Andy Griffith, and the talented Blythe Danner (real-life mom to Gweneth Paltrow, and also the fictitious mother of Pamela Martha Focker, the Focker matriarch of the Meet the Parents trilogy).
Hearts of the West pretty much has it all: gunfights, car chases, laughs, romance…you name it.
Score: 8.1/10
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, Donald Pleasence, and Blythe Danner
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