Jeff Bridges’ Western comedy streaming for free on Tubi is a ’70s gem

In 1975, 25-year-old Jeff Bridges starred alongside Sam Waterston in a neo-western comedy that was not initially a success but has since received solid retrospective reviews. It’s also a pretty cool watch, if only to see what was going on with the western in the mid-70s. Luckily, you can now stream the film for free on Tubi.

The 1970s must be one of the most fascinating periods for the western genre. This was the decade when science fiction became a new fascination and Wild West adventures quickly became old hat. As a result, the genre morphed in often strange and bizarre ways into what was the cultural equivalent of Robert Patrick’s T-1000 desperately cycling through its various forms as he writhes in the pit of molten steel at the end of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Indeed, the ’70s saw all manner of contortions as the old-school oater endured its prolonged demise, ultimately culminating in the 1979 death of John Wayne, a true icon of the genre itself.

Even though the western died in the 70s, it continued to develop. Even the last decade has seen the release of some great westerns, including the remake of “True Grit” starring Bridges as Marshall Rooster Cogburn – the US Marshal played by Wayne himself in the 1969 original. However, at the time the Duke was winning Oscars for that famous western, Bridges was a promising youngster starring in a neo-western comedy that was everything Wayne’s film was not – and not just in terms of tone and decor. “Rancho Deluxe” was not well received when it was released in 1975, but it has since received reasonably positive reviews. So let’s go back to the mid-70s to see what was happening with the western through Bridges’ forgotten comedy.

“Rancho Deluxe” is directed by Frank Perry and written by novelist Thomas McGuane. It stars Bridges and Sam Waterston as Jack McKee and Cecil Colson, respectively, two cattle rustlers who enjoy raiding ranch owner John Brown’s (Clifton James) livestock. Set in modern-day Montana, the film sees Jack and Cecil kidnap Brown’s prize bull, prompting the rancher to send in his incompetent hands, Curt and Burt (Harry Dean Stanton and Richard Bright). After failing to capture the thieves, Brown turns to former thief turned detective Henry Beige (Slim Pickens). Unfortunately, he turns out to be about as useful as Curt and Burt in finding the culprits.

“Rancho Deluxe” is worth revisiting simply as a forgotten curiosity that doesn’t seem to know exactly what it is about, and as such seems to represent much of the confusion that surrounded the Western genre at the time. When the film debuted, John Travolta’s now-forgotten contemporary western, “Urban Cowboy,” had yet to bring country and western culture to the masses in a newly marketed form, and audiences weren’t exactly clamoring for oaters following Clint Eastwood’s 1971 debut as “Dirty Harry” Callahan. Although Disney’s western comedy “The Apple Dumpling Gang” was a box office hit in 1975, the year’s top 10 list was made up of grittier films such as Al Pacino’s crime drama “Dog Day Afternoon” and Robert Redford’s spy thriller “Three Days of the Condor.” Meanwhile, the New Hollywood movement had produced the first-ever blockbuster, “Jaws,” and “Star Wars” was only two years away. Even back then, “Rancho Deluxe” just didn’t cut it, and the critics certainly thought so.

“Rancho Deluxe” isn’t one of the best westerns of all time, but it wasn’t trying to be. The film is from a time when no one really knew what to do with a western, and it’s a really strange film to watch in hindsight. He seems to have wanted to highlight the fact that the Western genre was dying by exploiting a style of film once enjoyed for laughs. But it only goes so far with parody and jokes. Rather than serving as an effective parody, the comedic element ends up seeming more confusing than anything else, especially since it’s hard to tell what it’s about most of the time.

Roger Ebert certainly struggled in this regard, writing in his review of “Rancho Deluxe” that the question of “whether Perry intended his film to be a comedy” was distracting because “advertisements suggest he did, and yet Tom McGuane’s script simply doesn’t contain any laughs.” A more balanced but ultimately negative review came from Richard Eder of the New York Times, who described the film as a “parody western” that tries to say something about how “the West is dead and inhabited by maggots”, although it fails to do much with that message. Still, the film has its fans, as evidenced by its 62% Rotten Tomatoes score and multiple positive Letterboxd releases (where viewers praised its “quirky charm” and “hangout vibe”).

Watched today, “Rancho Deluxe” feels like it has more to say about the waning popularity of the western, but isn’t sure how to say it. That alone makes it worth watching, which you can now do for free on Tubi, one of the best streaming services currently available.