Nothing ugly about it

Rating: Null/10 (30 September 2000)

In spite of how it was marketed, "Coyote Ugly" features a surprisingly deep storyline about a young woman from New Jersey, following her dreams of becoming a songwriter in New York. Along the way, she finds work at a local bar--Coyote Ugly. This experience not only gives her the confidence to work harder towards her goal, but allows her to conquer some of her demons.
Piper Perabo stars as Violet, a girl from small town New Jersey. Her mother was a songwriter and she inherited that gift from her. She also inherited her mother's stagefright. One night, she comes home and find her apartment ransacked. Seeking refuge in a local diner, she overhears three women discussing their evening at work, and that one of them is leaving. The owner tosses her a matchbook with the club's name on it, and this starts her on her road to her dreams. Ms. Perabo makes Violet a character with depth, feeling and emotion. Violet could easily be your sister, cousin..ect. Far better job here than what she showed in "Rocky and Bullwinkle"
Maria Bello appears as club owner Lil. Lil is a hardnosed city girl, despite her small town upbringing. She runs the bar as if it is her life, and it is. Tough, sexy and no-nonsense, Lil is a well written and brought to life character. It would actually be a joy to work for someone such as her, as you always know where you stand. Ms. Bello is always good at creating characters, her "ER" work being another good example.
Adam Garcia plays Kevin O'Donnell, Violet's love interest in the movie. Good Austrailian accent and a penchant for rare comic books are this characters selling points. He's got a great bit at the bar helping out Violet early on. Good job Adam.
I'm going to lightly touch on the other club employees for a sec. Another relative newcomer, Isabella Miko plays Cammie. A very very sexy woman with a severe shopping habit, Cammie immediately befriends Violet and helps her through the rough early times at the wild club. Not a whole lot to the character, but she sells what she has. Bridget Moynahan stars as Rachel, the club's enforcer. A tough attitude and actions to match, she weilds her sexiness as almost a weapon and whatever you do, dont make her angry. Funny story about her and an anger management course. I won't ruin it here, but its quite a chuckle. Tyra Banks got a lot of heavy publicity for her role as Zoe, but it's more of a cameo. Zoe leaves her job, and that's what enables Violet to work there. Couple of nice dance numbers but that's about it for her. She didn't detract from the film, however.
John Goodman plays William Sanford, Violet's father. A hardworking family first man, he is both proud and torn as his baby girl heads off into the world. He eventually comes to Coyote Ugly and sees Violet dancing on the bar, water being poured over her. Angry and ashamed of the newspaper pictures of his daughter, he is unable to tell her how he really feels. John Goodman is every man, every dad. Probably the best characterization in the movie.
Overall, "Coyote Ugly" packs a great story, killer soundtrack and well-thought out characters into a tight little hour and fifty minute movie and dares you not to like it. It's hard to deny that this movie is fun for all audiences. Don't let the gyrating trailers convince you otherwise.
4 out of 5