Editorial Review:Amazon.com essential video:John Travolta traded in disco duds for a cowboy hat in this corny love story about a working man who breaks up with his girlfriend (Debra Winger), then plays out their relationship's turmoil inside a huge honky-tonk called Gilley's. The story essentially parallels Travolta's prior hit film,
Saturday Night Fever, in its blend of ordinary life, incomplete relationships, and personal pride channeled into niche stardom at a neighborhood club. But for all its regional flavor,
Urban Cowboy never enjoys the immediacy and urgency of
Fever, and after awhile you can't help but feel bemused by the macho silliness of ongoing 'mechanical bull' competitions (basically a faux rodeo device only brave men can master at great chiropractic risk). The Travolta-Winger relationship is pure soap, as well. But this film really is a kind of time-capsule piece on a lot of levels--notably Travolta's career and late '70s Western kitsch--and while it's silly, it's certainly not disagreeable.
--Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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From One Abusive Man to Another and Back
I realize that Travolta was at the height of his stardom and Winger was an up-and-coming and talented actress. I also realize that the honky-tonk mechanical bull-riding mentality had its season of popularity.
Even so, it is horrifying to me that a popular cable station describes Bud as a "good old boy" when he hit Sissy twice. One abusive incident would have been enough to cost this character the "good" label.
In short, Sissy goes from the abusive Bud to the abusive "real cowboy", then back to the abusive Bud. It is rather bizarre that Bud gets angry and outraged over somebody ELSE hitting Sissy, although he does not seem to have a problem doing it himself! What an awful example to put out there for young girls to see.
Despite the star power and the short-lived mechanical bull craze, this is a movie about unprincipled men and a girl with too little self-esteem to seek relationships elsewhere. Young and impressionable girls: beware.
Rating: 
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An 80's Honkytonk Classic!
Fun love story that takes place in a Texas honkytonk. Some of the best music of the 1980s, country and pop are in this film! As an added bonus many country artists have cameos; Mickey Gilley, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Lee, and Bonnie Raitt.
Great classic 80's flick. One of my favorite shots in the movie is a wide shot of Debra Winger and John Travolta sitting at a table, facing each other in a dark and smoky night club.
Rating: -
Best of Travolta's Early Films
This was supposed to be the country version of Saturday Night Fever and was quite popular. It actually is an even better movie. The story was again taken from a magazine article on the popularity of a Texas bar named Gilley' where a new feature was the mechanical bull. The writers developed a fictional love story to tell the story of the bull along with featuring Mr. Travolta and country music. The movie was a great showcase for John Travolta's acting talents and featured two even more talented actors - Debra Winger and Scott Glenn. They blew me away then and had pretty good careers. Debra Winger left the profession for the most part but how can we forget her? Scott Glenn is still seen occasionally. The whole film jells into a fine fairy tale of love almost lost but found again. It is very moving and entertaining.
Rating: 
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Urban Cowboy
#3 in Travolta's trilogy of blockbusters. He dances to disco, rock 'n' roll and country. He heads to Houston to find work and love. Gilley's is the hot spot, and it is the time of the mechanical bull. Not to be outdone, I rode the bull at a club in Nashville. I saw this nearly forgotten film on television and remembered how good it was and what a good period it was in my own life. I wore a black cowboy hat like Travolta. Debra Winger was in her prime. She is sexy in her red top, and there is plenty of chemistry. Bud and Sissy are the ideal couple even if they are trailer trash. They split up just because it feels so good getting back together. The film has good music, Looking For Love by Johnny Lee.
Rating: -
Fun movie to watch!
Thanks Connie for your review! The movie was entertaining and fun to watch. The main characters were flawed but still likable, even Wes. At some point you get the feeling that his attraction to Sissy grew into something more than just physical. Yeah, I cut him some slack. The guy's backstory may have been a rough one and he didn't have much of tender side like Bud. And if that's not enough, to see Scott Glenn in all his muscular glory was enough to me make say "Amen!" The man was smokin'! I'm from Texas - I haven't seen too many cowboys look THAT good in chaps.
Reviewers be nice. This is my 1st review.