Ughh-ly. But, unexpected pluses from Goodman and Bello.

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2001)

I expected nothing from Coyote Ugly, and it would be tempting to say that's what it delivered, but I suppose that's not strictly true. The script was intended as a "small-town-girl goes to big city and tries to make it big" story, but was heavily side-tracked by a sappy teen-style romance, not to mention the girl's commitment to her big old clinging but lovable father, and every little friendship she makes along the way. Throw in a supposedly congenital case of stage-fright, and I'm afraid it came off less like "A Star is Born" and more like a really mediocre tv movie. Except... John Goodman, as big old softie Dad, was as good or better than ever. Ask the man to play a caricature, give him a third-rate director, and he still comes across as not only believable, but consistently FUNNY. It's not a big enough part that he could rescue this muddle, but it is enough to make it almost worth watching just for him.
Reviewing the IMDB ratings by demographic group, it's clear that the romance was quite effective, the highlight of the movie, for young female viewers, and it's easy to see why. Piper Perabo is bright and pretty and very good in the part of the nervous hopeful, and you can't help but root for her smart and occasionally spunky character. Adam Garcia, the young Australian actor who plays her young Australian emigree suitor, gets to take his shirt off and dance on the bar, but it's the character's dedication and loyalty which probably hits the buttons of those who enjoyed this movie. Guys weren't as impressed, likely because the direction was so inept and shallow that we couldn't feel any kinship with him, and the character comes across as too much of a wise-ass to us.
The women dancing on the bar, and bottle-jockeying sequences were quite enjoyable, but they have only a tenuous connection to the rest of the story. They don't seem to be directed by the same director as the rest of the movie. The idea, of course, is that we're supposed to see Perabo's character grow and mature during her tenure there, but I'm not so sure the sequences work as well as intended.
The strongest female character in the movie is Lil, the owner of the bar, played by Maria Bello, who looks more than a little like Sharon Stone, and plays a part worthy of her. In a way, this is another problem for the movie, because she distracted from the sex-appeal of Perabo. While it wasn't much of a movie, the part that Goodman didn't steal pretty much belonged to Bello, in my book. I definitely want to see more of her, uhhh, work!