Love Ranch

Plot synopsis

Charlie Bontempo (sometimes called Charlie "Goodtimes") and his wife, Grace, run a legal brothel known as the Love Ranch on a large, remote property near Reno, Nevada. Grace's mother had been a madam, so Grace knew the business, but it was Charlie who persuaded her to open a brothel in a part of Nevada where doing so would not be violating the law. The business runs smoothly but is not without its headaches, such as unruly customers needing to be dealt with by a bouncer or prostitutes who get out of line. Grace is amazed when Charlie procures the contract of a professional heavyweight boxer, Armando Bruza. Bruza is from Argentina and has had fights against the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Charlie is eager to have a fighter, but coaxes Grace into becoming Bruza's actual manager because Charlie has a felony conviction that prevents him from getting a license. Grace can hardly believe Bruza is willing to live and train at the brothel, where he moves into a trailer. She is surprised even more when Bruza begins to demonstrate a physical interest in her, since she is married and considerably older. She is offended at first, but the boxer's attentions and outgoing personality begin to win her over. Bruza begins to voice an interest in becoming Grace's business partner in running the brothel. Charlie begins to become aware of what's happening behind his back, leading to a disastrous outcome for all.

Cast

Production and release

Filming began in January 2008.

Love Ranch was released in limited U.S. theaters on June 30, 2010. It was Harve Presnell's final film role.

Reception

As of December 25, 2011, the film has received mostly negative reviews, with review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reporting that just 12% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 50 reviews with an average score of 3.8/10. The site's consensus of reviews was, "Despite its saucy setup, the return of Joe Pesci, and the always marvelous Helen Mirren, Love Ranch is disappointingly flaccid."