Western, Adventure, TV Movie  •  1995  •  118 min  •  Teen (13+)

The Good Old Boys (1995)

The Good Old Boys poster

The Good Old Boys (1995)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Political: Center
Diversity: Low
Family Values: Strongly Traditional

Viewer Rating
6.6

Overview

Tommy Lee Jones directs and stars in this 1995 TV Western about an aging cowboy in 1906 Texas who has to decide between the open range and the pull of family life. The story is adapted from Elmer Kelton's novel and treats its era with a degree of authenticity. The Leans Traditional label fits because the film frames heterosexual marriage, family responsibility, and gender roles as the stable anchors of its world, while the cowboy's wandering life serves as the contrast, not the ideal. There is no political agenda and no culture-war friction. The label is mild because the tension the film explores is personal, not ideological.


Starring Cast

Tommy Lee Jones  •   Terry Kinney  •   Frances McDormand


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Traditional

Primary

Political: Center
Confidence: Medium

The film explores the universal struggle between individual freedom and the demands of responsibility and a changing world, presenting a balanced view of the merits and drawbacks of both tradition and modernity without explicitly endorsing a particular political ideology.

Diversity: Low
Confidence: High

The movie features traditional casting without explicit race or gender swaps for established roles. Its narrative frames traditional identities, particularly the male cowboy, in a neutral to positive light, exploring themes of an aging man's struggle with changing times rather than offering a critical portrayal of these identities.

Secondary

Family Values: Strongly Traditional
Confidence: High

The film strongly portrays and implicitly endorses traditional family values, depicting lifelong heterosexual marriage, distinct gender roles, and parental authority as the stable and respected norms within its 1906 Texas setting, contrasting them with a bachelor's wandering life.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

The film is a Western drama set in 1906 Texas, depicting a cowboy's struggle with a changing world and his family relationships. The narrative focuses on traditional themes of the American West, and there are no identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes present within the story.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The film 'The Good Old Boys' is a Western drama set in 1906 Texas, focusing on a cowboy's personal journey and family relationships. The narrative and character arcs do not include any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. The story explores traditional Western tropes and the changing times for cowboys, without touching upon transgender identity.

Female Combat: No
Confidence: High

The film features female characters, notably Spring Renfro, but none are depicted engaging in or winning close-quarters physical combat against male opponents. The narrative does not include scenes of women defeating men through skill, strength, or martial arts in direct physical confrontations.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film adapts Elmer Kelton's novel, portraying all major characters with the same gender as established in the source material. No characters originally depicted as one gender are presented as a different gender in the adaptation.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is an adaptation of Elmer Kelton's novel, set in early 20th-century Texas. The characters, as established in the source material, are white, and their portrayals in the film align with this. No character's race was altered from the source material.

Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High

Not depicted in the film.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

6.6

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.5
The Movie Database logo
6.7

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
N/A
Metacritic logo
N/A

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