Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1998)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Tim McCanlies

Writer (WGA):

Tim McCanlies (written by)

Release Date:

1 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family

Tagline:

in the middle of nowhere they had everything

Plot:

Four friends from the small Texas town of Dancer are graduating from high school and are planning to move to L.A...

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Best Friend | Digit In Title | Rancher's Son | Period In Title

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Breckin Meyer	...	Keller Coleman
Peter Facinelli	...	Terrell Lee Lusk
Eddie Mills	...	John Hemphill
Ethan Embry	...	Squirrel
Ashley Johnson	...	Josie Hemphill
Patricia Wettig	...	Mrs. Lusk
Michael O'Neill	...	Mr. Lusk
Eddie Jones	...	Earl
Wayne Tippit	...	Keller's Grandfather
Alexandra Holden	...	Vivian
Keith Szarabajka	...	Squirrel's Father
Shawn Weatherly	...	Sue Ann
Michael Crabtree	...	Mr. Hemphill
Lashawn McIvor	...	Mrs. Hemphill
Joe Stevens	...	Leon

MPAA:

Rated PG for language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | France:U | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alpine, Texas, USA

Company:

Caribou Pictures

Trivia:

The gas station where the four boys go to hang out was built for this movie and never was a working gas station. They left it up for an attraction when people drive into Fort Davis, it just recently collapsed (2006).

Quotes:

Squirrel: Hi Loretta.
Loretta: Hi Squirrel, listen don't be so depressed about choir today you bein' so terrible in all. First time's always bad. You won't be so quite terrible next week you'll see.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Playing by Heart (1998)

Soundtrack:

Where I Come From

If you know and don't hate small-town life, you'll enjoy it

Before getting the movie, I was puzzled at the sharp disparity in the comments here. Now I think I understand them!

A character in the movie says something like this: "Some people aren't meant to live in a small town. Some can't live anywhere else." There's truth to that, and I think it's reflected in the differing responses to the movie here.

If you have experienced small-town life, and either love it or at least are wryly comfortable with it, you'll like this movie a lot. You'll feel you've met these people, you've been to their church, you've been at their picnics. You'll enjoy the scenery, the decent neighborliness, the conversations, the characters.

If you're more of a big-city type, you'll be very impatient. Nothing "happens"! No heads explode, no alien invasions, abductions, or even flyovers. No sex, virtually no profanity, no fist-fights. Everyone keeps most of his clothes on. Kids love and respect their parents and families, even when they're a little daft. People fight, but basically care about each other. It's boring - to some!

I offer no judgment, just this filter to help you decide whether the movie's for you. If you like movies that make you ache for small-town life, you'll like this. If you need action and adrenalin, you may very well not. I like both, and I liked this movie.