''Dancer, Texas Pop. 81'' is a 1998

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

starring Breckin Meyer,

Peter Facinelli Peter Facinelli ( ; born November 26, 1973) is an American-Italian actor. He starred as Donovan "Van" Ray on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox series ''Fastlane (TV series), Fastlane'' from 2002 to 2003. He played Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the The ...

, Eddie Mills, and

Ethan Embry Ethan Embry (born June 13, 1978), credited early in his career as Ethan Randall, is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, starring roles in the films '' Dutch'' (1991), '' All I Want for Christmas'' (1991), and '' A Far Off Pl ...

. The film is set in the small, fictional Texas town of Dancer, with the titular reference to a population of 81 residents.

Plot summary

In the small

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...

hamlet of Dancer, four friends (Keller, Terrell, John, and Squirrel) have just graduated high school and are weighing the decision to leave for

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The young men made a pact to leave long ago, but their families and friends won't let them go without a fight. The well-off Terrell wants to escape the controlling influence of his mother, who insists he stay in town to work in the family oil business. John's family wants him to stay on the ranch and study agriculture at a nearby university. The awkward Squirrel lives in a decrepit trailer with his drunken, occasionally absentee father, whose survival depends on Squirrel. Unlike his friends, Keller has no major battle to fight over leaving; he lives with his widowed grandfather, who encourages Keller to leave for greener pastures. The four young men struggle try to reconcile their family ties, obligations, and familiarity with home with their dreams of big city life.

Cast

Production

The movie was filmed in Fort Davis, Texas. It was shot in 25 days.

Reception

Hollis Chacona of ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

'' gave a positive review, praising the cast, writing, and cinematography. Chacona wrote, "There are so many captivating characters, so many funny moments, and so much sweet affection in this movie, its ending comes as a sorrowful leave-taking. You're tempted to wave goodbye to it (if you have a hankie to wave, so much the better) and linger in your seat long after the lights have come up." The film reviewer Joe M. O'Connell, writing for the ''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...

'', called the film "the finest representation of small-town Texas since ''

The Last Picture Show ''The Last Picture Show'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and co-written by Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry, adapted from the 1966 semi-autobiographical novel by McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast incl ...

''". ''Spirituality & Practice'' called it "a spiffy valentine to small-town America that evidences a wholesome attitude toward community", adding "This laid-back drama ambles around its peripheral themes of coming-of-age and friendship."

Emanuel Levy Emanuel Levy () is a veteran, well-known American film critic and professor emeritus of sociology and film of Arizona State University. For the past 50 years, he has taught a wide variety of courses in sociology, film studies, and popular cultur ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' also gave a positive review, writing: "Perhaps not since the eccentric early comedies of

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an ...

(''

Citizens Band Citizens band radio (CB radio) is a land mobile radio system, a system allowing short-distance one-to-many bidirectional voice communication among individuals, using two-way radios operating near 27 MHz (or the 11-m wavelength) in the high f ...

'', ''Handle With Care''; and ''

Melvin and Howard ''Melvin and Howard'' (stylized as ''Melvin (and Howard)'') is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as th ...

'') has there been an American comedy that captures the unique texture of small-town life without condescending to its characters. A product of such a milieu, director McCanlies understands that a nonjudgmental approach is key to such a story's success; in that spirit, he highlights, rather than conceals, the idiosyncratic personalities, dialect and humor of his dozen or so characters."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dancer Texas Pop 81 1998 comedy-drama films 1998 directorial debut films 1998 independent films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1990s buddy comedy-drama films 1990s coming-of-age comedy-drama films American buddy comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American independent films English-language buddy comedy-drama films English-language independent films Films directed by Tim McCanlies Films scored by Steve Dorff Films set in Texas Films shot in Texas Films with screenplays by Tim McCanlies TriStar Pictures films