Loosely based on Vicki Lawrence's notoriously trashy country story song, this unexpectedly amiable and engrossing dramatic feature about ordinary small-time dreamers who aspire to greater things in life makes for a perfectly nice and affecting character-oriented slice-of-everyday-life affair, specifically centering on how going for the gold in life takes a lot of courage and determination. Dennis Quaid portrays his part with a winningly scruffy, roguish charm; he's a reckless ne'er-do-well womanizing hellion striving to make it big in Nashville as a country singer. Kristy McNichol is likewise on the money, radiating her usual spunky appeal as Quaid's headstrong, ambitious and highly precocious 16-year-old sister who acts as Quaid's manager and does her best to keep her wayward brother in line. The duo's major league plans go astray when Quaid runs afoul of belligerent sticksville town sheriff Don Stroud. Quaid, Stroud and McNicol all give fine performances, but it's Mark Hamill who takes the acting honors with his shockingly good turn as the decent, sympathetic state trooper who befriends McNicol and falls in love with her. Director Ronald F. Maxwell shows a lovely, uplifting sure feel for these hugely endearing commonplace individuals, depicting their mundane lives and go-for-the-glory aspirations without the slightest whiff of cheap sentiment or condescension. Moreover, the country music score totally cooks, with both Quaid and McNicol contributing a few surprisingly up-to-par tunes (yes, they both sing -- and extremely well, too!). Granted, this flick ain't without its flaws: the meandering opening third starts off pretty shaky and the tragic ending is abrupt and dissatisfying. But overall this unjustly overlooked picture rates as a real sleeper.
