Bovie Movie

This is a likeable if unspectacular attempt to see what happens to groupies after the tours and tequila have dried up. Goldie Hawn plays Suzette, an over-the-hill rock chick who’s still reminiscing about the time Jim Morrison passed out on top of her. She’s travelling across the country to hook up with former partner-in-crime Lavinia (Susan Sarandon), now a model of suburban respectability, but once the other Banger Sister — a title supposedly conferred on the duo by Frank Zappa. Once they meet, the life lessons are trotted out with predictable regularity — Suzette teaches Lavinia how to live again, Lavinia teaches Suzette how to move on — and the writing fails to deliver on the promising premise. However, Hawn (essentially playing the grown-up version of daughter Kate Hudson’s character from Almost Famous) and Sarandon are a winning pairing, and they’re ably assisted by Geoffrey Rush as a neurotic writer whisked along for the ride. 

Mel Gibson has another crack at a drugs-related role (first seen in Tequila Sunrise), although this time the mood is considerably lighter. He plays a former small-time drugs courier who has been in hiding since he turned FBI informant, but who ends up on the run with an old flame (Goldie Hawn) when his cover is broken. It’s frothy nonsense for the most part, but expertly packaged by director John Badham, and it does boast the rare sight of macho Mel impersonating a camp hairdresser. Hawn is an able if sometimes irritating foil, while David Carradine, Bill Duke (best known now as the director of films such as Deep Cover and A Rage in Harlem) and Stephen Tobolowsky are an entertaining trio of villains. 

Lou-Jean, a blonde woman, tells her husband, who is imprisoned, to escape. They plan to kidnap their own child, who was placed with foster parents. The escape is partly successful, they take a hostage, who is a policeman and are pursued through to Texas…

This charming throwback to the screwball comedies of the 1930s is one of the better vehicles designed for Goldie Hawn. She plays a pampered heiress to a fortune, who loses her memory after falling off her luxury yacht. Carpenter Kurt Russell, who had clashed with her earlier, sees the chance for revenge and convinces her that she is his wife. The chemistry between the two stars (a couple in real life) is complemented by the performances of an experienced supporting cast that includes Katherine Helmond, Roddy McDowall and Edward Herrmann. It’s slickly directed by Garry Marshall, who juggles the sharp repartee and knockabout slapstick with ease.