Straight Talk
Honest and straightforward small-town Shirlee Kenyon chucks her boyfriend and heads for Chicago. Accidentally having to host a radio problem phone-in show, it is clear she is a natural and is hired on the spot. But the station insists she call herself Doctor, and as her popularity grows a local reporter starts digging for the truth. Problem is, the more he is around her the more he fancies her.
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- Cast:
- Dolly Parton , James Woods , Griffin Dunne , Michael Madsen , Deirdre O'Connell , John Sayles , Teri Hatcher
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Reviews
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Admirable film.
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
An unlikely pair of actors, James Woods and Dolly Parton prove to be well cast, and their performances raise the level of the movie above the limits of the script. Woods is always good, but Dolly Parton is remarkable. Why don't we have more movies with her? This woman is so talented it breaks your heart.Woods is the kind of brainy actor who has worked with so many prestige directors, it only raises my esteem for him that he took on this assignment with Parton. I'd like to believe he recognized the value of Dolly's screen persona and wanted to share in the light she brings to every project.I was thinking that James Woods is the only actor to star opposite both Dolly Parton and Sharon Stone (well, there is one other brand name actor who's done that -- know who?).My hope is that some day Dolly gets re-discovered through a Sundance project. Or maybe Quentin Tarantino will decide to film a ketchup-free love story and give Dolly the break she deserves. Hey, QT, you were born in Tennessee, right? Give Dolly a call...
this is the best dolly parton movie ever.she is great in it along with james woods griffen dunne and teri hatcher.it tells the story of the woman who sent to go to chicago but got more.i loved this movie ever since it came out and i watched at least once a week.i give this movie two thumbs up.
This is a really engaging story, but it's held back by some questionable casting. Dolly Parton is as completely winning as usual, but she remains a bit too "larger than life" for a regular everyday story. You love her and want the character to be happy just like you'd expect, but you can never forget it's Dolly Parton you're watching. A bigger problem than that, however, is the utterly miscast James Woods. He gives it a game try, but he just doesn't fit in this fluffy-light romantic comedy (paired with Dolly Parton!) any more than he would in a needlepoint class. It's bizarre enough to make one wonder whose goofy decision it was to cast him.
A simple and inspiring movie. Dolly Parton's performance was outstanding!!! Got a little choked up at the end. A great movie when you want something inspiring and touching. A pure entertainment kind of deal. Disagree with Ebert's criticism that the movie is not representative of the radio or journalism business as I really don't care; i didn't watch the movie to be informed or educated about either of these businesses.