Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
LOVE RANCH
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Running time: 117 min.
Release date: June 23, 2010 (LA), June 25, 2010 (NY)
Genre: Drama and Romance
Distributor: E1 Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
This is a fictional drama about the couple who opened the first legal brothel known as the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada and the violence that resulted when their relationship was tested by infidelity. The story is largely inspired by the actual lives of notorious Joe and Sally Burgess-Conforte proprietors of the Mustang Ranch, the first legalized house of prostitution in the U.S.A. This is where Heavy Weight boxer and championship contender Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena met with his brutal death.
The setting is the late 1970s. Oscar winners Helen Mirren (wife of director Taylor Hackford) and Joe Pesci portray Grace and Charlie Bonempo, the husband and wife owners of the first legalized brothel. These two characters are inspired by the actual lives of Joe and Sally Burgess-Conforte, who were two low-life sex hustlers. Their experiences were interrupted when Joe brings boxer Bonavena to Reno to train and promote a series of fights. However, Bonavena and his boxing manager Sally, who was 26 years his senior, have an affair. The end result was his infamous death at the Mustang Ranch. Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays Armando Bruza, the Bonavena character whose plans for a comeback go awry when an unforeseen love triangles, develops, and erupts into uncontrollable passion between him and Sally.
Helen Mirren adds class to the short and gruffly real life character she plays. I have seen photos of the real-life Sally, and I would have to think that the fairly good-looking real life Bonavena must have been punch-drunk to take up with her. However, the attractive mid-sixties Helen Mirren dazzles her audience with naked body sex scenes, which prove visually valid in appearance opposite the hulky good looking Armando (Sergio Peris-Mencheta). I think it's great that this "young senior dame" can still get away with the hot and heavy sex scenes that the younger women tend to dominate on screen.
The notorious Joe Conforte character, who is called "Charlie Bonempo," in this film is brilliantly portrayed by Joe Pesci. When I think of a "wise guy" type on screen, I think of Academy Award winner Joe Pesci. He plays his bad-guy character, as only he does best in all his performances on screen. This trio orchestrates a fine-tuned plot of a love triangle resulting in the death of Armando Bruza (the real life Oscar Bonavena).
This film borders the logic of a fictional biopic, because virtually every biopic plays with the truth at some point. It is certainly true that a biopic may not prevent information truthfully or completely. It holds true in the facts of this story, as the plot is a condensed version of how Joe Conforte (an Italian immigrant turned cab driver hustling service personnel to border brothels in Alameda and Contra County, California) and Sally Burgess a low-life prostitute/madam from Texas begin a lucrative husband and wife business of legal sex for sale in Nevada. However, the filmmaker Taylor Hackford sidesteps the issue of complete accuracy in a biopic format by fudging the truth, so the result is clearly a dramatic genre. This blending of styles will be very popular to its audience, and should prove to be a box office gem.
Gina Gershon plays a sharp-tongue prostitute named Irene. She has limited lines and time on screen, yet her character is quite affective. Other supporting cast members are Ling Bai, Taryn Manning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Elana Neal, and Emily Rios who are part of the ranch personnel.
Allowing their fine performances to shine, clearly this is a Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci vehicle.
FILM RATING (B)
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