Love Ranch (2010)

12% of critics liked it
(50 reviews)
26% of users liked it
(1,026 ratings)

Director Taylor Hackford explores the rift that opens between Grace and Charlie Bontempo -- the husband-and-wife owners of Nevada's first legal brothel -- after ambitious entrepreneur Charlie attempts to expand his dominion by inviting South American heavyweight boxer Armando Bruza to train at the… More Director Taylor Hackford explores the rift that opens between Grace and Charlie Bontempo -- the husband-and-wife owners of Nevada's first legal brothel -- after ambitious entrepreneur Charlie attempts to expand his dominion by inviting South American heavyweight boxer Armando Bruza to train at the ranch. When passions ignite between Grace (Helen Mirren) and Armando (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), Charlie's jealousy threatens to be the wrecking ball that brings his entire empire crumbling to the ground. Mark Jacobson adapts the screenplay based on a true story that ended with the death of boxer Oscar Bonavena at the Mustang Ranch in 1976. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 57 min.
Directed By: Taylor Hackford
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 30, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Nov 9, 2010
Studio: E1 Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic
Once Hackford has committed to the characters and to their compelling (if dark) world, he has nowhere to go but to some predecided facts that might not be the most interesting end to the characters' journey.
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
The only vaguely interesting aspect to this film is the subplot involving a past-his-prime Argentinian heavyweight owned by Charlie.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Even Helen Mirren on a bad day is better than nine out of ten American film queens polluting movie screens on any given Sunday, but really, this is one time she should have stayed in bed.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Try though she might, Mirren can't save the hackneyed and singularly unerotic story...
A.O. Scott, At the Movies
It starts flat and gets so tired.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Gives you only a superficial, clichéd picture of brothel life.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
The picture feels edited with a chainsaw, reducing Hackford's story of desire to crummy Lifetime Movie theatrics, wasting the numerous gifts of Helen Mirren along the way.
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
A misbegotten jumble that clumsily synthesizes various incongruous elements.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Presumably the aim was to meld dark humor with passionate ardor and high drama, but the tone here is lumpy, crass and overheated.
Victoria Alexander, FilmsInReview.com
It's the story of a marriage but not the one on screen. Taylor Hackford tarnishes wife Helen Mirren's illustrious streak but gets a paycheck. Horrible TV script.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
If Hackford & Co. really and truly wanted to evoke the Sleazy Seventies, they should have studied Pam Grier's filmography like a religious text.
Andy Klein, Brand X
Hackford's films have been uneven, but he's generally an intelligent and tasteful director. His last film, Ray, may have been his best. Unfortunately, Love Ranch is almost certainly his worst.
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix
A worthwhile tale might lurk somewhere in Taylor Hackford's latest, but this flaccid look at the early days of Reno's legalized bordello business takes a fictionalized approach to history...
Richard Knight, Windy City Times
Familiar to the point of blandness. But then again, every time The Mirren walks into view ...
Fred Topel, Can Magazine
It's all melodrama and yelling. The material is way beneath the actors... at least you get to see Pesci do "angry Joe" again.
Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine
Love Ranch proves to be a provocative, highly entertaining and surprisingly touching peek into a unique world movies don't often explore.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A hackneyed drama in which even Helen Mirren can't make much out of her bewildered character.
Jeanne Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan
Screenwriter Mark Jacobson has done little to make this love triangle clearer than mud. The script is one trite cliche after another, and Pesci is little more than a caricature of himself in past roles.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Fair movie. Joe Pesci brings nothing new to his character. It's as if I were watching another actor imitating Joe Pesci in a thug role. The only reason to watch this is for Helen Mirren. Why she took this part is anyone's guess, but even she didn't make this movie… More
Fair movie. Joe Pesci brings nothing new to his character. It's as if I were watching another actor imitating Joe Pesci in a thug role. The only reason to watch this is for Helen Mirren. Why she took this part is anyone's guess, but even she didn't make this movie interesting...even though she tried.
Chris W

This film is a fictionalized account of the story of the first legal brothel in Nevada. It had the potential to be an excellent and insightful film. What it turns out to be though, is a half-assed, tired, and bland film that, even though it does have some good scenes and moments, is a… More
This film is a fictionalized account of the story of the first legal brothel in Nevada. It had the potential to be an excellent and insightful film. What it turns out to be though, is a half-assed, tired, and bland film that, even though it does have some good scenes and moments, is a really big disappointment and doesn't do justice to a story that deserves it. I mostly place blame on the script. The story is fine, but the film is in dire need of a rewrite. The film decides to not really give a narrative that tells the history of the place, and instead focuses on a few of the characters (in depth) in the context of the ranch. It would be a better film had it been a more balanced account that provides a history of the ranch, as well as great insights into the people who worked there- kinda like Casino or Boogie Nights. In fact, for many reasons I don't even need to explain, this made me think about Casino a lot, and I kinda wished I was watching that instead. Even with the characters who get focused on a lot, they still seems a little thin, and could have been developed a lot mroe and better. There's almost an hour of deleted scenes on the DVD, and while watchjing those, I saw plenty of stuff that could have been kept in the film (with some other stuff taken out). It made me realize that they didn't really have the film planned out fully. EIther that, or they should have just lobbied to go all and make an epic instead of having to pick and choose (and do so sloppily). This film isn't terrible though, even if I am ripping into it. The cast is good, and it is nice to see Joe Pesci come out of retirement. Too bad he, Mirren, Sergio Peris-Mencheta (a guy who does a really great job) and all the others couldn't save it. I'm just disappointed that the film is just all over the place and doesn't do what it could have given the subject matter and particular story. Hackford an okay director, but I don't know what the hell went wrong here, or what he and the rest were thinking. I wasn't bored by this film, but all the crap that's wrong with it makes me feel like I should just split it down the middle and give it an even "Gentleman's C".
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Helen Mirren, Joe Pesci, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Gina Gershon, Ling Bai, Taryn Manning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Elise Neal, Bryan Cranston, Rick Gomez, Gil Birmingham Director: Taylor Hackford Summary: Inspired by the story of the couple who introduced legalized prostitution… More
Cast: Helen Mirren, Joe Pesci, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Gina Gershon, Ling Bai, Taryn Manning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Elise Neal, Bryan Cranston, Rick Gomez, Gil Birmingham Director: Taylor Hackford Summary: Inspired by the story of the couple who introduced legalized prostitution to Nevada with the opening of their Mustang Ranch brothel, this Taylor Hackford-directed drama focuses on the devastating consequences of infidelity in the land of sex for pay. Helen Mirren stars as Grace Bontempo; Joe Pesci plays her husband, Charlie; and Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays the boxer who, on entering their world, sets into motion a violent chain of events. My Thoughts: "Although the story isn't well written and the chemistry between Mirren and Pesci is more awkward then believable, I still found the story interesting. I adore Helen Mirren and am willing to watch anything she is in. But this film was not up to her potential. Sergio Peris-Mencheta as Bruza, was likable and interesting, but some of his parts felt a little to over dramatic He needed to bring it down a notch. There's a decent supporting cast as well. But overall, the script isn't great and the story is a bit all over the place trying to fit in many things. But the story mostly focuses on the deteriorating relationship between Grace and Charlie. By far not the greatest film I've seen this year, but still not the worse."
Walter M

In "Love Ranch," Charlie(Joe Pesci) and Grace(Helen Mirren) are a married couple who a run a brothel together near Reno, Nevada. As besieged as they are by religious elements that seek to shut them down, Charlie disversifies their interests by buying the gambling debts of… More
In "Love Ranch," Charlie(Joe Pesci) and Grace(Helen Mirren) are a married couple who a run a brothel together near Reno, Nevada. As besieged as they are by religious elements that seek to shut them down, Charlie disversifies their interests by buying the gambling debts of Armando Bruza(Sergio Peris-Mencheta), a once promising boxer. His idea is for Armando to fight his way back into contention and to challenge Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight crown. The only problem is that Charlie is a convicted felon and hence cannot manage him. So, he puts Grace in charge. As it turns out, she might not have that much time left which she learns from her doctor(Harve Presnell). Unexpectedly the unorthodox pairing of Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren does not create a massive implosion and actually works quite well. He is not that bad of an actor and, despite being acting royalty, she is unpretentious enough to have fun in the role. Sadly, that's about the only thing that truly works in this mess of a movie which may have once sounded like a great idea but could not find the right tone in front of the camera. Maybe it is about seeking respectability in the new west but it is not really about either Charlie or Armando who drive most of the action. Nor do any of the working women stand out in any way. Grace takes center stage but mostly through default as she is a passive, thinly drawn character who only achieves any depth through the massive force of will of Helen Mirren.
Sol C

While Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren shine in the film, the film itself needed some fixing up. The film needed a rewrite. It felt a little off track at times. It was dealing with too much and they never found the right tone and balance for everything. Helen Mirren is wonderful in her… More
While Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren shine in the film, the film itself needed some fixing up. The film needed a rewrite. It felt a little off track at times. It was dealing with too much and they never found the right tone and balance for everything. Helen Mirren is wonderful in her role. It was great seeing Pesci on the screen again. it has been awhile since I last saw him on the big screen (his cameo in The Good Shepard). Pesci and Mirren have a great on screen chemistry. The film kind of reminded me of films like People Vs Larry Flynt and Million Dollar Baby, only those films were much better than this one. Taylor Hackford has done better directing with films like An Officer and A Gentleman and Ray than this film. It would have been interesting to see how Mirren's character and Pesci's character first met and hooked up and later formed the Ranch. However, the film doesn't do that. Overall, the film is worth checking out for Mirren's and Pesci's performances.
Sarah P

I was excited to see this, but it really fell short of my expectations. It was just kind of "ehh" and the sudden falling in love between Grace and Bruza didn't really make sense to me.
matt s

Pesci came back for this?! Ugh.
Sunil J

This movie has some really interesting moments but is a bit all over the place. It kept my attention though. Mirren and Gershon were good.