Love Ranch Movie Review

By Tiffany on November 10th, 2010

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It’s hard not to look at Helen Mirren without thinking of the Queen of England –  the role that won her an Oscar in 2007.  But there’s a different side to Helen Mirren – the vixen that shows up in the tabloids sunbathing in a bikini at 63 or posing topless for New York Magazine. The side that you see in Love Ranch, the movie loosely based on the Mustang Ranch, a Las Vegas Brothel famous in the 1970s.

 Seeing Helen Mirren in this role was a treat. She doesn’t quite depart from the stoic “Queen of England” portrayal we’re used to, but melts into a quite likeable character as she falls for the suave Argentinean prize fighter Armando Bruza, played by Sergio Peris-Mencheta. Joe Pesci plays her husband Charlie Bontempo, a grease ball pimp who cares more about screwing his own Love Ranch “employees” then actually running a business, a task that Grace (Mirren) handles on her own. Even though they were doing quite well with the business, it was Charlie’s idea to resuscitate a washed up prize fighter from Argentina to gain a few bucks, forcing Grace to become the manager. Romance ensues, and you can be rest assured a man with as much money and power as Charlie was not going to take that lying down. (No pun intended.)

If you’re looking for the real story about the Mustang Ranch, or just want to see a movie about a brothel – then this is the movie for you. Although, I can’t say it was a cinematic masterpiece – Watching Pesci in a movie again made it all worthwhile. It made me want to rewatch With Honors all over again. From homeless man to a pimp – Pesci you’re moving up!

This week we’re giving away the Love Ranch to ONE lucky Manolith Reader – Check our FREE STUFF section for more details!