Music Cinema

Honeysuckle Rose

Heavenly Daze Rating:



How We See It...
Willie. Band bus. Tequilla. Hot chick guitar player. Road trip. Emmylou Harris. More Tequilla. Texas. Cheating-On-Blonde-wife.  Highway. Fights. Beer & LOTS more Tequilla.
  You don't have to be a country musician to enjoy this movie, however... we suggest strongly that you've at least SAT IN with a band, ANY band, before you watch this.
  When the 'barbecue scene' comes up (ho-hum), you'll have time to make a beer run before the movie takes up again, but don't be late or you'll miss one of the best 'Road Scenes' to come along in decades.

Band buses Happen. 

*Currently unavailable* OOP
Copies can be found through ebay or amazon

The (expanded & remastered) soundtrack is currently available from Heavenly Daze-$14.99

The Stats:
Medium: VHS
Runtime: 119 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color (Technicolor)
Rated:R Adult content/situations
Sound Mix: Dolby
Awards: Nominated for Oscar.

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willie Nelson ... Buck Bonham
Dyan Cannon ... Viv Bonham
Amy Irving ... Lily Ramsey
Slim Pickens ... Garland Ramsey
Joey Floyd ... Jamie Bonham
Charles Levin ... Sid
Mickey Rooney Jr. ... Cotton Roberts
Lane Smith ... Brag, Cotton's manager
Pepe Serna ... Rooster
Priscilla Pointer ... Rosella Ramsey
Diana Scarwid ... Jeanne
Emmylou Harris ... Herself
Rex Ludwick ... Tex
Mickey Raphael ... Kelly
Bee Spears ... Bo

Trivia:
The mother of Amy Irving's character is played by her real mother, Priscilla Pointer.

Tagline: "For 20 years he's been singing to the country. But he never figured he'd be living his own love songs".

Quotes:
[Lily is on her first tour with Buck's band]
Bo: "Anybody on this bus got a college education"?
Lily Ramsey: "I do; just graduated in June".
Bo: "Good. Then you can get up and get us a beer".

Guest Review by Thom Jurek
All Music Guide

The soundtrack to Honeysuckle Rose is an anomaly in the genre. It is really a collection of songs by Willie Nelson and his Family band as well as a host of friends like Jody Payne, Johnny Gimble, Amy Irving, Hank Cochran, Jeannie Seely, Kenneth Threadgill, Dyan Cannon, and Emmylou Harris, all of it set in a concert-like atmosphere and performed live in front of an audience.
  Now it's true that Nelson is the hero of the movie, but the movie hardly matters when it comes to the soundtrack because it stands so well as a document on its own. Cochran's performances are as inspiring as anything he ever did in his life. Nelson's readings of his own tunes like "Bloody Mary Morning," "On the Road Again," "Pick Up the Tempo," "Heaven or Hell," and others are solid, inspired, and rollicking. His versions of tunes written by Kris Kristofferson ("Loving Her Was Easier Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again"), Rodney Crowell ("Angel Eyes"), and Lee Clayton ("If You Could Touch Her at All") blow away the studio versions.
   And the duets with Cannon, Harris, and Irving are moving and direct. The sound is much improved on this remastered version with a real bass presence and far less crowd noise during the performances. In addition they restore Irving's reading of Nelson's "If You Want Me to Love You I Will," which was omitted from the original CD release, and add a pair of bonus tracks, making it a superb value.
Thom Jurek, All Music Guide




2005 All Media Guide LLC. Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. 1992-2005 AEC One Stop Group, Inc. AEC One Stop Group, Inc.