Drama,Romance
United States of America
Urban Cowboy is a 1980 American romantic drama film directed by James Bridges and starring John Travolta and Debra Winger. It is based on the 1978 Esquire magazine story "The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy" by Aaron Latham, which was also the inspiration for a 1982 country song by Johnny Lee and made famous by the film's soundtrack.
The film follows Bud Davis (Travolta), a young man from rural Texas who moves to the city to work at a refinery. He frequents a local bar called Gilley's, a famed honky-tonk famous for its mechanical bull-riding competition. There, Bud meets and falls in love with Sissy (Winger), a strong-willed cowgirl who works at the bar.
As their relationship progresses, the couple struggles with a clash of values. Bud is traditional and sees himself as the man of the relationship, while Sissy believes in gender equality and bristles at Bud's controlling behavior. Despite these differences, they get married in an impulsive ceremony at Gilley's.
The marriage is soon marred by financial problems and Bud's jealousy over Sissy's friendship with Wes (Scott Glenn), a rodeo cowboy. Their rocky marriage hits a breaking point when Bud gets into a bar fight with Wes and Sissy decides to leave him.
Bud decides to try and win Sissy back by competing in the bull-riding competition at Gilley's. He trains furiously for the event, but during the competition, he faces a near-fatal accident. Sissy rushes to his side and the couple reconcile, realizing that they need each other.
The film was a commercial success, grossing over $53 million on a budget of $10 million. It helped to popularize country music and western wear, and contributed to the resurgence of interest in line-dancing.
