It started out with the latest Hollywood heartthrob bursting onto the scene in the midst of a ’70s cinema renaissance. John Travolta was quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the industry, and mainly because of the specific romantic drama roles he was taking. While fans knew he would always have a strong presence in these kinds of films, there would eventually come a time when he would diversify his craft as an actor. Some argue that it all happened in his cult gem Western from the ’80s, Urban Cowboy.
Since Travolta was known for films like Saturday Night Fever and Grease, it didn’t take long for studios to try to capitalize on using him in similar kinds of films. Travolta was branching out, especially since he had been working with Brian De Palma on a number of occasions, but his romantic dramas were still his bread and butter. As he moved into the ’80s, he made yet another memorable drama that would stick with his fans for years to come, and it wouldn’t be the kind of film they’d expect.
Urban Cowboy Is Still One Of the Most Underrated Romantic Dramas of All Time
Bud and Sissy enjoy a date night out in Urban Cowboy.Image via Paramount Pictures
Even though it has its own fan base and remains easily accessible to this day, there are plenty of audiences who still haven’t witnessed John Travolta’s most obscure “rom-dram” of his career. The 1980 hitUrban Cowboy was a smash at the box office and continued a trend that made Travolta especially appealing to young female audiences. However, he was also proving to be a more versatile actor in the process. For teenagers in the ’80s, Urban Cowboy was a heavier romance flick than they expected, and it highlighted a very specific rural landscape.
Also starring Debra Winger in one of her earliest roles, Urban Cowboy tells the challenging story of country love between two hard-headed young lovers in a bustling Texas backdrop. What’s most notable about the way the story plays out is that it involves a thematic question revolving around “real” and “fake” cowboys in America’s historic Southwest. At the center of this idea is John Travolta’s Bud, who moves to Houston in order to find a better living than he would on the rural outskirts of his Texas hometown.
Complementing Bud’s background with the life he builds for himself in an urban Texas landscape, Urban Cowboy presses heavily on its themes. He frames an interesting character arc for the protagonist around a complex on-screen relationship. The love story in Urban Cowboy is always the first thing fans point to, especially with the aura of Travolta’s Bud, the charm of Winger’s Sissy, and the chemistry between the two of them. However, it’s not a conventional love story as the two face tough challenges, and the film digs deep into the toxic habits seen in certain relationships.
There’s also no denying the way James Bridges approaches the material, focusing heavily on Texas’s distinct cultural elements, individual philosophies, and systemic class issues. Even in the hardened Southwest, people are part of their environment, embracing it with passion and enthusiasm. Therefore, there is a focus on specific traditions and pursuits of the characters in the film. While there is an arc for Bud, who has to grow up a lot throughout the course of the story, there’s also a specific relationship arc on display that has always left fans satisfied in the end.
In many ways, it’s as if the studio said: “Let’s put that East Coast heartthrob in a Western love story and see if it sticks.” For audiences, there’s a divisiveness when it comes to Urban Cowboy, but it’s hard to discount the impact of Bud and Sissy, who remain one of the most iconic on-screen relationships in cinema.
While the film is a deep exploration of relationships, their obstacles and even toxicity, the arc doesn’t disappoint. It allows the classic to exist as one of the best romantic dramas of the ’80s.
Urban Cowboy Is Also Secretly One Of the Best Neo-Westerns of the 1980s
Bud gets really good at riding the mechanical bull in Urban Cowboy.Image via Paramount Pictures
Much of Urban Cowboy’s charm comes from the way it balances tone, theme, and genre, making it one of the more clever romantic dramas of its generation. Balancing the hard-hitting dramatic moments with offbeat humor is just one aspect of why fans root for Bud and Sissy throughout their country-style love story. However, the 1980 hit is also quietly playing in another genre, and taking full advantage of the specific genre conventions it embodies.
Even though it’s ostensibly a romance round-up that can keep various demographics engaged in its story, Urban Cowboy does a lot in the Western genre, and not just through its subtext. On the surface, fans enjoy how the film exists as a contemporary Western set in Texas that follows cowboys and cowgirls pursuing love.
Furthermore, a lot of the focus of the film revolves around the traditions of the Houston community, which include mechanical bull-riding, drinking, two-step and line dancing. This already frames James Bridges’ gem in a specific way, allowing for a revisionist version of the Western to exist in a Southwest-based love story.
However, Urban Cowboy is also easily a Western, and one of the best neo-Westerns of the ’80s because of its structural and subtextual approach to the genre’s elements. Urban Cowboy functions as a Western and weaves its love story into a specific thematic story. Not only does the film feature tropes and archetypes audiences see in Westerns, but it also builds to a climactic moment between good guy and bad guy. In the case of Urban Cowboy, there’s obviously so much going on with the individual arcs of Bud and Sissy, but their relationship is the goal each is trying to achieve.
Using the love story as a framing device, Urban Cowboy also portrays a lone drifter who wanders into a new town and comes across a specific pursuit that he finds purpose in. Unlike conventional Westerns, Bud is seeking a type of glory as well as retribution for his failure as a partner to Sissy as the film goes on. This comes in the form of a rivalry with Scott Glenn’s despicable Wes Hightower, a supposed “real cowboy” whose status revolves mainly around his lawlessness and skills as a bull rider.
The film frames the dynamic around the way Sissy is treated by both characters. Bud is stubborn, unfaithful and prideful at the start, making Wes look like a “true cowboy.”
This all flips at the right moment, and Wes transforms into the bad guy, while Bud transforms into the heroic, almost mythic good guy. While both men pursue Sissy, only one loves her truly, and their “duel” is less about who wins at playing cowboy and more about who’s the better man and better partner for the girl. Bud wins in more ways than one, bringing the arc of every character full circle and providing a complete depiction of the film’s “Urban Cowboy” themes.
By embracing Western modernity, Urban Cowboy presents a contemporary version of the Western story and centers on a memorable love story.
John Travolta’s Career Evolved Well Beyond Urban Cowboy
Bud becomes a regular at the local bar in Urban Cowboy.Image via Paramount Pictures
With its specific backdrop, themes and dynamics, Urban Cowboy is one of the more subtly great Westerns of the last fifty years. Through the competitive nature of the two archetypal cowboys, the mechanical bull competition, the love story and the landscape, James Bridges’ 1980 hit is a resonant Western romance tale.
Following up his previous romantic dramas, John Travolta proved to be a distinct heartthrob with a knack for playing the hero. This would both help and harm his career in a number of ways.
John Travolta was known for one thing early in his career, but he transcended these perceptions as years went by. His typecasting led to struggles in the ’80s and early ’90s. It was only directors like Brian De Palma and, eventually, Quentin Tarantino who would see his true potential. After Pulp Fiction in 1994, Travolta was more than a star, but an actor who could be taken seriously in any kind of role.
Seeing many ups and downs in his career, Travolta remains one of the most versatile actors of his generation. Coming a long way from his iconic performance as Bud Davis in Urban Cowboy, fans everywhere still adore the various kinds of films he’s made in his career. However, Urban Cowboy still remains one of his best films, and it’s so much more than people realize.
Release Date
June 6, 1980
Runtime
132 minutes
Writers
Aaron Latham
Producers
C.O. Erickson, Irving Azoff
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Madolyn Smith Osborne
Pam
