Wanda Nevada (1979)

Ok , this movie is one of those that you will not watch over and over and over again. Its kinda goofy , has it all, fantasy ,taboo, action,romance, and AMAZING scenery to see! One of the best parts of the movie is the scenery. As far as the plot and acting goes, well.. i aint too impressed, its not bad but too much fantasy in it, maybe it would look way better if it was made to be more realistic. As far as the taboo part goes, well... someone already said it, age doesnt really show maturity. Age is like a road sight that says , next city is in 100 miles, it doesnt and cannot say how much time you'll need to get there, that is up to you how fast you can/wanna drive. And im always glad i mean was,cause today its rare that they make a 13yo caracter be played by a real 13yo,when theres a "mature" subject in the movie,.. well at least thats how it is in Hollywood now ... too bad. I totaly love it when the actors are really the age they are playing. What to say about Brooke? .. trully one of a kind. All in all , not so well acted movie, with a tabooish story in it ,and a great scenery all around.

Peter Fonda lends a great comic performance in this film, which is his 3rd time directing. It's a great little film and I enjoyed the humorous quarrels and spats between him Brooke Shields. She is surprisingly great as a funny sassy brat posing as a woman . Fonda's character can see right through and calls her "a skinny little runt " that talks way too much. The funny scenes where Fonda pleads with God and talks to a mule for assurance are great. Shields' character knows how to push Fonda's buttons and even steals a ride with him unaware. After all the near death experiences they go through, along with cleverly used male and female counterpoints for jealousy between the two, they do fall in a caring love for each other. I see his character as a father figure protecting her begrudgingly so she doesn't wind up as "buzzard's bait" in the Grand Canyon search for gold. He even tells her he's too old for her. This is not an exploitation film of a younger girl older man romance but rather a fantasy adventure of two money hungry misfits out for riches with killers following them. It is a fun film and the chemistry between Fonda and Shields is warm and undeniable, though never sexual. I find the humor and performances stand above all else .

I've read a lot of negative reviews for the film, and yes, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but somehow I've always enjoyed the movie in a "dumb fun" sort of way. But maybe I'm biased because the town scenes were shot in Prescott, Arizona where I lived, and as a teenager, I remember the excitement of the film crew hitting town. I can identify all of the town locations---the Mt. Breeze Motel (sign clearly seen on screen) is no longer standing today. And, of course, all of the teenage boys I knew thought Brooke Shields was hot! As far as the film goes, its whimsy worked well on me. It has been on video, and it has had a few TV airings, but it seems to have done quite a disappearing act these last few years. I don't know why---maybe it is because of the strongly implied love affair between the middle-aged Peter Fonda and the 13 year old Brooke Shields (whose on-screen character is 13 as well). Such things don't sit too well, and rightly so, in the present day, but people didn't think so much of it back in 1979.

For some strange reason, the odd couple consisting of Peter Fonda and Brooke Shield works in this movie. The movie plot is basically a fantasy and you shouldn't try to see it as a western or a drama. Both of them somehow wind up being partners in a gold prospecting trip inside the Grand Canyon. Brooke Shields is portrayed in her usual role as a much more mature than her natural age girl, who's an even match to the older prospector played by Peter Fonda. The comical part is the way she tries to sell herself as an adult to Fonda, and eventually Fonda takes her in as his partner. The plot may not work for mature audiences in this country, but in other parts of the world, such genre exists as fantasy/adventure and might be getting high marks. I give two thumbs up for Brooke Shields and Peter Fonda.