Playing the madam at the center of Love Ranch , Helen Mirren seems acutely aware of the novelty of a freshly minted grande dame picking up her skirts and heading straight for the sex worker’s equivalent of Disneyland. As Grace Bontempo (a pan-lingual take on Mrs. Goodtime) she runs the Love Ranch, one of Reno’s legal prostitution outposts, with a self-consciousness unbecoming of one who could convincingly pull off royal blood. The spectacle of Mirren tricked out in mid-70’s pimp wear — ahead of her time, she even brandishes a cane — has a certain charm, but novelty alone can’t keep Love Ranch ‘s tiresome tropes and plodding storyline from dragging the film down through the Nevada dust.
Originally posted here:
REVIEW: Despite Pedigree, Love Ranch Succumbs to Tired, Hookerific Cliches
