Keys to Tulsa (1997)

Absolutely Brilliant!

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The director tries to be Quentin Tarantino, the screenwriters try to be Tennessee Williams, Deborah Kara Unger tries to be Faye Dunaway, the late James Coburn tries to be Orson Welles, Michael Rooker tries to be Gene Hackman, Mary Tyler Moore tries to be Faye Dunaway (older version), Cameron Diaz tries to get out of the frame as quickly as she can (successfully), don't ask about Joanna Going. Eric Stoltz and James Spader try to conceal their embarrassment with this crappy stuff. It delivers endless, meaningless dialog and very little action.Tulsa is a town with beautiful elevator lobbies, an art deco church by Bruce Goff and a lovely, sprawling mansion by Frank Lloyd Wright. Visit Tulsa, don't watch this movie. It doesn't do the location justice.

The first time I watched this movie, I hated it. The second time I watched it, I liked it. The third time, it actually started to make sense. So ultimately there IS a cohesive plot, you just have to really pay attention, or watch it a few more times, which you won't mind doing if you like seeing a very-close-to-naked Eric Stoltz or a viciously sexy James Spader strutting around like Elvis. Or, if you prefer women, there's the beautiful and talented Deborah Unger, some gratuitous strippers, and this completely unrealistic Cherry girl who keeps peeling off her clothes at the first drop of alcohol. The reason I didn't like this film is the dialogue is so trite and predictable that you roll your eyes after every other line, and even though 1997 wasn't that long ago, this film feels completed dated. The didjeri doo (however you spell it) music is completely out of place, and obviously just trying to be trendy. Cameron Diaz serves no purpose except to be annoying, and the Keith/brother character is so offensive and unlikable that I was actually disappointed when he didn't blow his own head off. The 'adolescent male' conversation he has in the bar with Richter was almost enough to make me stop watching. I did think the acting was good. I especially liked the interplay between James Spader and Deborah Unger. These two also appeared as a married couple in David Cronenberg's Crash, but their characters in that were completely different. So I thought this film was a good example of their versatility. Otherwise, the film is worth a rent to see James Coburn say 'sit down son, have a . . . nut.' And of course, half naked Eric Stoltz and James Spader as Elvis. Can't go wrong there!

My boyfriend and I made the horrible mistake of renting this one evening. We were intrigued as it had several actors in it that we liked. Also, I am from Tulsa, and not many movies are made that even mention Oklahoma (aside from stereotyping us as inbred crackers and redneck bigots). This film doesn't get away from the stereotyping at all. The accents were completely inaccurate, as well. This movie was so boring that after about an hour, we both agreed to shut it off. What was Cameron Diaz thinking when she agreed to do this one? If this is the only thing left on Saturday night at the video store, I recommend that you take the keys to the nearest theater. You'll pay more money, but at least you won't be wasting time. On a scale of one to ten, I give this one a 1/2.

While I may be wrong about many things, compelling trash is not one of them. This film, like the much under-appreciated "Freeway" is NOT a "so-bad-it's-good" film. Rather, it is "Dynasty" for very corrupt smart folks. The film has a definite made-for-cable pace, but I think this adds to its "colored-umbrella in my drink" ambiance. Kind of like "Miami Vice" should have been. The primary reasons to see this film are the acting and the script. First, Eric Stoltz is wonderfully blissed out and funny. Second, Spader does a great stretch in this film, and he makes the catch. Third, Ms. Going walks on water. Fourth, so does Michael Rooker. Trust me; you really want to see James Coburn say "We, Richter, we're men, we love our women badly." It's a grade "A" genuine hoot and a half. And Cameron Diaz has precisely 3 minutes of screen time.