Straight Talk

1992

Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance

23
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 58% · 13 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 58% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 4273 4.3K

chicago, illinois romantic comedy romcom radio program talk radio

Plot summary

Honest and straightforward small-town Shirlee Kenyon chucks her boyfriend and heads for Chicago. Accidentally having to host a radio problem phone-in show, it is clear she is a natural and is hired on the spot. But the station insists she call herself Doctor, and as her popularity grows a local reporter starts digging for the truth. Problem is, the more he is around her the more he fancies her.

Director

Barnet Kellman Photo
Barnet Kellman

Top cast

Charles Fleischer Photo
Charles Fleischer as Tony
John Gegenhuber Photo
John Gegenhuber as Waiter
Paul Dinello Photo
Paul Dinello as Casey
Suzy Brack Photo
Suzy Brack as Date at Restaurant
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
673.05 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds 2
1.39 GB
1920*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds 10

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by movietrail 7 / 10

Somewhat addictive...

There's something about this movie that keeps bringing you back for more. I bought the video used for about three bucks (the price is why I bought it!) and was pleasantly surprised. And watch it again and again and again. I notice other viewers who have done the same and can't help but wonder what it is. I have even seen lines from this movie quoted in magazines (attributed to Dolly rather than the script writer)!There are some gaping goofs, of course. Suddenly "Jack" says "you probably think you just heard a doorbell", although no doorbell has rung at all (maybe they fixed that in later releases)! Also, nobody but Shirlee and her boss "Alan" is supposed to know that she is not a doctor despite the fact that the receptionist took her resume filled with occupations such as "bartender, waitress, waitress, dance instructor..." There are others. But even so, you keep coming back for more.A few of the one-liner bit parts have awful acting skills, but even so.So, what is it about this movie? Maybe it's the sound track. I hate C/ W but the all-Dolly soundtrack is wonderful and her songs fit each situation as if it were a musical. Also, Dolly is a very believable actress despite the very unbelievable situation. Believing Dolly is a shrink is like believing Whoopi is a nun. You know it's ludicrous, but they somehow get you to accept it and enjoy. You want to believe it!Some of her advice is like Zen, for example the one about women and corn flakes: you just don't get it. There is a lot you just don't get in this movie. But you still love it. That's a lot like loving a person, I guess.
Reviewed by BandSAboutMovies 4 / 10

Dolly!

Straight Talk has been sitting on my shelf, part of a Mill Creek set along with VI Washawski, just taunting me, knowing that someday, somehow, someway that it would end up sitting in my DVD player, ready to cast its magic spell.Writer Craig Bolotin often worked uncredited on films like Desperately Seeking Susan before writing this film. He'd go on to also write and executive produce Black Rain. This one was directed by Barnet Kellman, who is more well-known for his TV work.The real draw, of course, is Dolly Parton. She plays Shirlee Kenyon, a dance instructor wallowing in Arkansas with her boyfriend, who is played by Michael Madsen. Yes, in the same year that he played Mr. Blonde, Madsen was the backwoods drunk beau of Dolly in a movie that no one remembers.But he's not the love interest. Oh no, that'd be James Woods, who plays a crusading reporter who has lost his way. He saves Dolly early in the film when she tries to fish a Jackson off a bridge. Then, of course, she talked a young Teri Hatcher into dumping Mr. Woods, who of course falls for our girl, who falls into a job as a talk radio psychotherapist.She's not a doctor, you may yell. Guess what, pal? You just realized the dramatic issue here. Can Dolly keep the job she's best at? Will Woods divine her secret? Will Madsen screw it all up? And what the hell is up with this amazing supporting cast, which boasts Griffin Dunne, Tony Award-winners Tracy Letts, Amy Morton and Philip Bosco, Jerry Orbach, John Sayles (yes, the man who wrote Piranha, The Howling and Battle Beyond the Stars), Spalding Grey in a cameo as a rival shrink, Charles Fleischer (Roger Rabbit's voice), Jay Thomas (who was a real radio man himself and plays Zim Zimmerman here)?It's also Ron Livingston's screen debut. So it has that going for it.Seriously, Straight Talk is way better than it seems that it will be. I don't think that it presents the right path to radio - it completely rips off an old WKRP In Cincinnati episode's plot, too - but it's a quick movie that's helped by Parton's limitless charm. Yep - I've been front row for several of her shows and an unabashed fan, so your mileage may vary.
Read more IMDb reviews

2 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment