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COYOTE UGLY
Late in Coyote Ugly, Maria Bello finds Piper Perabo at her new
job and offers her a chance to come back to the bar and become a
Coyote. I'm pretty sure everyone in the audience shared my opinion:
Go back to the bar. When the movie focused on the bar scenes and
the four Coyote women were kicking it on the top of the bar, gyrating,
soaked in water and booze, Coyote Ugly kicks into overdrive. Are
these high energy, entertaining scenes capable of saving the dreck
that this movie calls a story? Not really. Coyote Ugly is not a
good movie by any means. It's actually ridiculously bad at its worst.
But it does have a few virtues including the aforementioned bar
sequences, a lot of stunning eye candy, a decent supporting performance
from John Goodman, and an appealing leading lady in the gorgeous
Piper Perabo. Admittedly, she didn't have much to play (her character
Violet wasn't all that bright by her belief that stagefright is
genetic), and thus I still am not sure if she can act. I know she
definitely can't sing (LeAnn Rimes did the voice honors and made
a random cameo in the end. By the way, LeAnn is under age and would
not be permitted in a bar like Coyote Ugly.) But damn, man, I'd
watch Piper Perabo eat Ramen noodles all day long. I don't know
if Piper Perabo can be a bona fide movie star, and this movie won't
help her career in that regard, but she exhibited enough charm and
gumption to make me think given a good script, she might just be.
I'd certainly pay again to see her try. Coyote Ugly was loud, leggy,
and largely ludicrous and I can't recommend it in good conscience,
but I had a great time watching the bar scenes, and almost as good
a time laughing at the absurd plot and dialogue. I was smiling throughout
the movie (sometimes for the right reasons, mostly for the wrong),
so put a little smiley face on there for me and call me a Piper
Perabo admirer.
- John Orquiola (reviewed 8/5/2000)
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