Taking Sides: The Electric Horseman vs. Urban Cowboy

Yee-haa! I saw the Mechanical Bull! forum, so here it is. The Electric Horseman is fine film, and Urban Cowboy's purty good too. Robert Redford seems to be a more genuine cowboy, but Travolta is an URBAN cowboy. Love interests--the o so cute cowgirl Debra Winger vs. the far from Barbarella-esque Jane Fonda. Edge: Debra Winger. Supporting cast: Willie Nelson vs. Scott Glenn and that hottie named Pam. Willie's role is minor, but that line where he says he's gonna find a bottle of tequila, a girl that can suck the chrome off a bumper, and kick back is classic. Scott Glenn really is convincing as the ex-con tough guy when he slurps that tequila worm down the hatch. Edge: Sorry Willie, but Scott's a better actor and Pam looks much better. Soundtracks: Willie Nelson vs. The "country" Saturday Night Fever. Slight edge: Urban Cowboy. However, The Electric Horseman is more than a modern cowboy picture. It carries social messages(animal rights, corporate greed, rugged individualism, etc.) and Redford's dilemma of a simple man caught up in the glitzy, plastic world of advertising seems genuine. He also speaks the great line,"As far as I see it, either we're all going to heaven or we're not." Urban Cowboy is pure cowboy kitsch. Gilley's, Pasadena, TX, mechanical bulls, and The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Fun stuff. Good to watch with some friends and some beers. But I'll take The Electric Horseman.