Coyote Ugly (2000)
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The story
Violet Sanford leaves her hometown of South Amboy, New Jersey, to pursue her dreams of becoming a songwriter in New York City. After failing to get her demo tape noticed by recording studios, she finds herself at a crossroads. When she discovers a group of women working at a trendy bar called Coyote Ugly, she decides to audition for a job there. The film follows her journey as she navigates the challenges of the music industry and the complexities of her new life in the city, attempting to overcome her stage fright and find her voice while working at the titular establishment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Violet Sanford moves from New Jersey to New York City to become a songwriter. After being rejected by studios, she finds work at Coyote Ugly, a trendy bar. She eventually becomes a 'coyote' after a successful performance. During this time, she begins a relationship with the bar manager, Kevin O'Donnell. Tensions arise when her father, Bill, finds her in the papers and she faces professional hurdles from the owner, Lil. After a falling out with Kevin and being fired, Violet returns home for a friend's wedding, where her father is injured. Encouraged by him, she returns to New York, performs at the Bowery Ballroom with the help of the Coyotes, and secures a record deal. The film ends with her song being recorded by LeAnn Rimes, and Violet reconciling her success with her personal life.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David McNally
- Writers
- Gina Wendkos · writer; Kevin Smith · uncredited, additional material
- Cast and characters
- Piper Perabo · Violet; Adam Garcia; Maria Bello; Melanie Lynskey; John Goodman
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- pursuit of dreams; female empowerment
- Tone and mood
- trashy; optimistic
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Reception
- The film received mostly negative reviews from critics but became a box office success and a cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 23% · scale: percentage · review count: 104
- Production trivia
- The film was based on an article in GQ by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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