Honeysuckle Rose

Before you can say "broken heart," Buck and the girl are in bed together, and their mutual passion is there for all to see as they sing together on stage (by the way, Irving has one heck of a voice, and her duets with Nelson are sweet and lovely). How long will it take for the Missus to find out?

Despite the open disapproval of his band members and country friends such as Amy Harris (who has a couple of solos as well), Buck continues the dangerous affair--until somebody tips off his wife and she appears unexpectedly at one of the concert venues. There ensues a great deal of melodrama, most of it played out in song, like the classic "You Were Always On My Mind." Unfortunately, Cannon, who is supposed to be a country great in this movie, sings as well, and her flat, untrained and grating voice is just awful.

The plot sidesteps into a silly trip to Mexico with Slim Pickens, the outraged father and friend, during which Bonham comes to his senses. All works out just fine in the end, and the viewer ends up smiling, humming country songs, and rewinding the tape to start it up all over again.


"Honeysuckle Rose" a totally entertaining film.   December 10, 1999
John J. Browner (San Jose, CA)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful

Honeysuckle Rose once again proves that a great singer, Willie Nelson, can be, and usually is, a more than competent actor. Buoyed up with outstanding performances by Dyan Cannon, Amy Irving and Slim Pickens, Willie more than holds his own in this totally entertaining and music- filled portrayal of life on the road as a country musician. Most of Willie's million-seller hits are included along the way. It is a realistic and satisfying account of journeymen musician's lives, including the creative energy they must generate to be a success and the foibles they often display enroute. Don't miss it.


A true-to-life image of music on the road   February 26, 1999
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

While it certainly does not hurt to be a Willie Nelson fan to enjoy this movie, anybody (whether into rock, country, folk, etc...) wanting to see a humerous and serious true-to-life movie about playing music on the road should see this. The acting is great and the plot and content is superb.


Dyan Cannon shines in wonderful backstage musical-romance   September 2, 2004
James D. Leverton (San Marcos, CA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

1980's "Honeysuckle Rose" is best known as the first film to star Willie Nelson, but its true shining star is Dyan Cannon, in a wonderful, atypically understated performance as Willie's loyal wife.

Nelson stars as Buck Bonham, a Nelsonesque country singer who arrives home after an extended road tour to spend time with wife and former musical partner Viv (Cannon), who has retired to raise their preteen son Jamie (Joey Floyd). After an extended, and very well-filmed, family reunion sequence, Buck heads back out onto the road, except without his longtime lead guitarist Garland Ramsay (Slim Pickens), who himself is retiring to spend time with his wife (Priscilla Pointer). In his place, Viv talks Buck into taking Garland's daughter Lily (Amy Irving). Unfortunately, Buck and Lily get involved in an affair which threatens to destroy Buck's marriage, his relationship with Garland and his band, and Lily's relationship with her father, to say nothing of Viv.

That's it for plot, but obviously the plot is not the main attraction here. The main attraction is the incredible musical talent of Willie Nelson and his "family" of musicians, whose performances take up nearly half the film's 120 minute running time. Some of the musical highlights include the film's theme, "On the Road Again," which was Oscar-nominated, along with Nelson and Cannon's duets on "Loving You is Easier" and "Uncloudy Skies." In fact, not only does Cannon deliver an outstanding performance as the wronged woman, she reveals a previously unknown singing talent, as does Irving. Pickens is also believable as a veteran picker, although all his guitar work was dubbed.

Nelson is fine in the lead, but he's basically playing himself. However, this performance did led to several subsequent starring roles in the 1980's. Irving and Pickens are also very good as always, but Cannon is transcendant. Usually specializing in high-strung wierdos who seem to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, here she is beautifully understated, to the point she barely speaks above a whisper in some scenes. She is at her best after she learns of the affair, and reacts the way any wife would when betrayed by her husband and a girl she practically helped raise. The scene where she confronts the two during a concert is alone worth the price of the cassette.

Director Jerry Schatzberg helms with a sure hand and he and his editors do a masterful job of melding the extensive concert scenes into the surrounding action and ensuring the film never lags for a moment. Incredibly, this film was adapted from the classic film "Intermezzo." Even more incredibly, it stands on its own as a fine film and excellent showcase for one of the greatest singer/songwriters this country has ever produced, as well as a fine character actress who has sadly been absent from the screen for far too long.

A note: Since the film was not a box-office success, it was retitled "On the Road Again" for its TV showings to remind viewers of its most famous asset. That is why the onscreen title on the VHS tape reads: "Honeysuckle Rose, aka On the Road Again." As for the tape, it is in a pan-and-scan fullscreen format which ruins the effect of its many concert sequences, which were (along with the film) filmed in panavision 2:35:1. Attn Warner Home Video: this film begs for a widescreen DVD transfer, so please, please, please release it for true fans to savor. **** (out of *****)


Classic, true outlaw-country road movie   January 2, 1999
info@countrynet.nl (Rotterdam, The netherlands)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Willie nelson plays Buck Bonham, a country singer based on his own person. The movie makes you relive the time Willie Nelson was at one of his peaks. Great music, and although the storieline is a little weak, the settings and music make up for it a 100 percent. It's the only movie I know of that can be watched hundreds of times without getting boring.