Part four of a series of films I have never heard of before, apparently A Cowgirl’s Song set in the wide pantheon of country-related films that are set in the very desolate countryside of dissonant Chickasha.
With her mother working a double shift at the mini-mart, country crooner Hailey (Savannah Lee May) and her disabled sister Brooke (America’s Got Talent’s Darci Lynne Farmer) are trying to get their father out of jail, probably due to meth.
Well, at least I think so.
Using a horse-drawn wagon to travel the twenty miles to the prison, after a rousing version of “The Sunny Side of Life’’ (or whatever the song is called), Hailey and Brooke meet up with hot grandmother Erin (Cheryl Ladd), a former county singer who has as a great plan – give a benefit concert for dad’s criminal defense.
Despite her massive stage fright, Hailey tries to be a country star like her grandma. After a few moments of crying backstage, this is remedied with a montage of Elvis songs set in a grocery store. Meanwhile, sister Brooke becomes a handicapped barrel racer!
With a brief detour into the sordid underworld of horse gambling, Hailey and grandmother have a sold-out concert and, as the credits roll, the concert song “It’s Party Time” (or whatever the song is called), is given ample screentime.
As the two leads, May and Farmer are alright with what they are given, which is an ultimately forgettable plot and ultimately terrible music. That being said, at 71 years old, Cheryl Ladd steals the show, and left me wishing the whole movie was about her and her own country career. Is it too late?
Filmed in and around Chickasha, the film is merely “okay” for a person, like me, that isn’t a 12-year-old girl.
On the other hand, if you live in the archetypal country setting, surrounded by neighing Breyer action figures and anthemic corn-pone tunes in your Discman, your interests will be definitely piqued. Giddy-up!
