steven@ism70.UUCP (05/13/85)
RUSTLERS' RHAPSODY Starring Tom Berenger, G.W. Bailey and Marilu Henner. Also starring Andy Griffith, Sela Ward, Fernando Rey, Patrick Wayne and Wildfire the Wonder Horse. Directed by Hugh Wilson. Written by Hugh Wilson. Produced by David Giler. Photographed by Jose Luis Alcaine. Production Designed by Gil Parrando. Edited by John Victor Smith. Costumes by Wayne Finkelman. Music by Steve Dorff. From Paramount Pictures (1985). Great fun. Rex O'Herlihan, the Singing Cowboy and his Wonder Horse, Wildfire, ride again for the first time in Hugh Wilson's affectionate spoof of the old Republic serial westerns. Seems Rex (Tom Berenger) finds his life sort of the same. He can see the future. When he rides into Oakwood Estates (an in-joke for Angelenos familiar with the Oakwood Apartments chain), he _k_n_o_w_s that the town newspaper editor is a just-out-of-college idealist who's hocked everything to buy the press. He _k_n_o_w_s that the schoolmarm is a pretty, but asexual young woman. And Rex sure as heck knows that the evil Colonel Ticonderoga will come after him with every man he's got when he finds Rex helping the sheep farmers of Oakwood. This comes from the Hugh (_W_K_R_P_ _i_n_ _C_i_n_c_i_n_n_a_t_i) Wilson side rather than the Hugh (_P_o_l_i_c_e_ _A_c_a_d_e_m_y) Wilson side. It's more a comedy of character and tone and less an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink comedy the way _B_l_a_z_i_n_g_ _S_a_d_d_l_e_s was. The movie doesn't skimp on Rex's characterization, and Berenger brings a heroic ingenuousness to the part. Anyway, Wilson was only called in to _P_o_l_i_c_e_ _A_c_a_d_e_m_y when the original director Jerry Paris (_H_a_p_p_y _D_a_y_s) crapped out. There's a pleasing mix of broad comedy and subtler gags. The climactic shoot-out between _t_w_o good guys, Wrangler Bob Barber (John Wayne's son Patrick) and Rex has one line in particular that sent me to the floor. Special Honorable Mention goes to Wayne Finkelman for creating some outrageously elaborate duds for the nattily attired Rex. Two and a half stars out of four.