Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (film)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gus Van Sant, Jr.
Produced by	Gus Van Sant, Jr. Laurie Parker Eric McLeod
Written by	Novel: Tom Robbins Screenplay: Gus Van Sant, Jr.
Narrated by	Tom Robbins
Starring	Uma Thurman Lorraine Bracco Angie Dickinson Noriyuki "Pat" Morita Keanu Reeves John Hurt Rain Phoenix Roseanne Arnold Ed Begley, Jr. Crispin Glover Buck Henry Carol Kane Sean Young
Music by	k.d. lang Ben Mink
Cinematography	John J. Campbell Eric Alan Edwards
Editing by	Curtiss Clayton Gus Van Sant, Jr.
Distributed by	Fine Line Features
Release date(s)	September 13, 1993 (Toronto) May 20, 1994
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English German
Budget	$8,000,000
Box office	$1,708,873

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is a 1993 American comedy-drama-romance film based on the 1976 Tom Robbins novel of the same name. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant, Jr. and starred Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco, Pat Morita, Angie Dickinson, Keanu Reeves, John Hurt, Rain Phoenix, and Grace Zabriskie. Tom Robbins himself was the narrator. The soundtrack was sung entirely by k.d. lang. The film was dedicated to the late River Phoenix.

The film was a critical and commercial failure. After its world premiere in September 1993 at the Toronto Film Festival, the film was set to open, but due to the incredibly negative response, the film was delayed for more editing. The United States wide release was May 20, 1994. It was given two Razzie Award nominations: Worst Actress (Uma Thurman) and Worst Supporting Actress (Sean Young). This movie holds a 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film's credits refer to Gus Van Sant as Gus Van Sant, Jr.

Plot

The story of Sissy Hankshaw (Uma Thurman), a woman born with a mutation (she would not call it a defect) giving her enormously large thumbs. The film is a transgressive romp, covering topics from homosexuality and free love to drug use and political rebellion to animal rights and body odor and religions. Sissy makes the most of her thumbs by becoming a hitchhiker. Her travels take her to New York, where she becomes a model for a transvestite feminine hygiene products mogul who introduces her to the man whom she will marry, a staid Mohawk named Julian Gitche (Keanu Reeves). In her later travels, she encounters, among many others, a sexually open cowgirl named Bonanza Jellybean (Rain Phoenix) and an itinerant escapee from the Japanese internment camps happily mislabeled "The Chink" (Pat Morita).

Cast

• Tom Robbins (voice) as Narrator
• Uma Thurman as Sissy Hankshaw
• Lorraine Bracco as Delores Del Ruby
• Pat Morita as The Chink
• Angie Dickinson as Miss Adrian
• Keanu Reeves as Julian Gitche
• John Hurt as The Countess
• Rain Phoenix as Bonanza Jellybean
• Ed Begley, Jr. as Rupert
• Carol Kane as Carla
• Sean Young as Marie Barth
• Crispin Glover as Howard Barth
• Roseanne Arnold as Madame Zoe
• Buck Henry as Dr. Dreyfus
• Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. Hankshaw
• Ken Kesey as Mr. Hankshaw
• Heather Graham as Cowgirl Heather
• Udo Kier as Commercial Director
• Lin Shaye as Rubber Rose Maid
• William Burroughs as Himself
• Edward James Olmos (uncredited) as Musician at Barbecue
• River Phoenix (uncredited) as Pilgrim

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on November 2, 1993 by Rhino Records. k.d. lang performed the music. The album was composed by k.d. lang and Ben Mink. The soundtrack went top 10 in Australia and top 5 in New Zealand (#10 and #4, respectively), and also peaked at #82 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

Track listing

1. "Just Keep Me Moving"
2. "Much Finer Place"
3. "Or Was I"
4. "Hush Sweet Lover"
5. "Myth"
6. "Apogee"
7. "Virtual Vortex"
8. "Lifted by Love"
9. "Overture"
10. "Kundalini Yoga Waltz"
11. "In Perfect Dreams"
12. "Curious Soul Astray"
13. "Ride of Bonanza Jellybean"
14. "Don't Be a Lemming Polka"
15. "Sweet Little Cherokee"
16. "Cowgirl Pride"

Chart performance

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Country Albums	6
Canadian RPM Top Albums	47
U.S. Billboard 200	82

Filming locations

• Portland, Oregon
• Terrebonne, Oregon
• Sisters, Oregon
• Bend, Oregon

See also

• List of American films of 1993
• Cowgirl

External links

• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues at the Internet Movie Database
• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues at AllRovi
• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues at Box Office Mojo
• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues at Rotten Tomatoes
• "How to Fix a Film at the Very Last Minute (or Even Later)"