Someone asked me months ago what I thought of the movie “Love Ranch”.  I was not able to tell them because I had not seen it, though I was mightily intrigued.  It was showing in one theater in LA, but I couldn't make it before it was pulled and left to languish in CD form.  I finally downloaded it this week, only after remembering I still wanted to see what they did with the supposedly fictitious story.  

Having spent a few years at Mustang Ranch back in the 70’s, written about it (I have a ten part excerpt from my book you can read here under "A Loss of Innocence") as well as being in a 1976 Golden Globe Nominated documentary film about the Ranch, I do feel I am uniquely qualified to express my opinion on this latest movie.  I have never reviewed a movie or even a book before.  I hope you keep this is mind.

Starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci as fictitious characters Grace and Charlie Botempo (suspiciously similar in both look and occupations to the very real Joe and Sally Conforte of Mustang Ranch) it was immediately clear to me someone had watched the documentary film I was in and used it for modeling their own version of Mustang Ranch, now referred to in the movie as Love Ranch.  I don’t have a problem with it, but I admit I bristled at the admonishment at the end of the film saying the characters and incidents are fictional and any similarity is accidental.  Please, this insults my intelligence and makes me want to throw up, especially when shots of the real Mustang Ranch are interspersed along with a model of the new, improved version.  Give me a break.

Mirren as Grace

Pesci as Charlie

Having expressed this I will say that I really did like the film.  I felt so much sympathy for the character of Grace, and it was because I lived there.  Every time she was hurt by Charlie flaunting some young thing and letting her wear Grace’s fur coat I flinched from recognition.  You see I was one of those young girls (Grace spoke of) back in the day.  It made me cry to hear how much it hurt her, even though the film is not based on reality.  Really? Here is a true scene taken directly from my book first written in 1976:

After Sally hung up her mink coat she joined me at the table.  “How’s the food?” I looked up from my plate surprised she spoke to me. “Oh, it’s just fine.  I’m really hungry.”

“Seems busy tonight.  Is that why you’re eating late?”  She pushed her glasses back further on her nose, something I had noticed she did often.

“Yes, but I don’t mind.”  I was hoping not to upset her.  I heard she had a temper which often motivated her to attack anyone in her path with her cane.  

Joe looked over his shoulder, “You usually are busy.  I’ve noticed you do a lot of business...care to spill your secret?”  He laughed a little which made me blush.  I was flattered he noticed I am a hard worker, it seemed to be the only recognition I got lately.

Joe Joined Sally at the table and lit one of his enormous cigars twirling it slowing puffing the thick cloud of smoke into my face.  Though it killed my appetite I continued to eat out of nervousness.

Sally spoke.  “It’s too bad you aren’t appreciated for all your hard work.”  I held my fork mid-air, “What do you mean?”  It was best I didn’t assume anything.

“Well...it’s just that you never get rewarded.  If you were with the right man you would have one if these to show for it.”  She pointed to her mink, then stood and limped over to where hers hung, took it down and held it out to me.  “Go ahead and try it on.”

For all the hype about it being about the brothel business it seems to me it was more about the (supposedly fictitious) love story between Grace and the young Argentinian boxing champion Armando Bruza, actor Sergio Peris-Mencheta, in real life it was Argentinean boxer Oscar Bonavena.  Personally I am glad, because it is what made the movie watchable.  The fact both characters were dying (Grace from cancer and he from brain damage) lent an urgency to their love which was convincingly portrayed by the actors.

The writing left me cold, except for the scenes between Grace and Armando which I found to be quite tender.  The Charlie character was not nearly as crude yet endearing as the original (Joe), but then this is fiction no?

Visually I found few flaws, though Mustang is outside of Reno (yet another similarity to real life?) the setting was filmed in New Mexico.  The scenes of the brothel were eerily the same and all period correct as were the costumes.  Although I the platform heels of today's styles did look out of place to me in 1970’s time period, they were not strippers, but hey, I can be picky.  

The music was right for the period and though the few scenes with the prostitutes were mostly realistic I never knew the “girls‘ area” of the brothel to look as filthy as it was shown.  

Reno was dressed up well to reflect the 70’s, the billboards reflected the big names of the time.  

Helen Mirren is a great actress whose portrayal of the brothel owner’s wife was sympathetic and tough.  This is not easy to balance and do so convincingly.  She is sexy and playful with “Bruzo” yet turns on a dime to be angry then supportive with her husband when his temper flares, which Pesci does all too well.  Much has been said about his accent in the film...personally I didn’t notice it, but it could be because I just didn’t care about the character.  He was that unsympathetic to me, whether it was his portrayal or my own memories of the real man doesn’t matter.   Ultimately the film centered not so much on him in my opinion, but became Grace's film.  

Thrown in almost casually was a reference to the IRS problems, when in reality I had gone to Federal Court to testify against them for the IRS and it was a very big deal...but I digress.  It is a shame nobody contacted me, it could have been so much more of a complex story. They apparently didn't have a good ending so rushed it with a voiceover which didn't work for me.

The fighter Armando, portrayed by Sergio Peris-Mencheta was wonderful, believable in both the fighting scenes and his romance with Grace.  His scene where he cried with Grace when telling her he had hurt his family had all of the feeling one could imagine feeling if under those circumstances.  To say more would spoil it for those who do want to see it.  

Sergio  Peris-Mencheta as Armando

I’m sorry the film did not make it into wide release, but one never knows how the audience will react.  I do know in this day and age of tell all and show everything it probably never had a chance.  People expected salaciousness, but what they got was a love story.  Precisely why I recommend it.