The main reason I saw KEYS TO TULSA was because it's the fifth and final movie James Spader and Eric Stoltz did together (and according to an interview on YouTube it was Stoltz who got Spader in this movie, coincidentally the opposite of what they did with TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY), but in hindsight I think it was better I skipped this one.
Richter (Stoltz) is a slacker and ethernal loser that comes from a privileged background in Tulsa and works at the local newspaper only because his mother (Mary Tyler Moore) did her best for making him land the job. However Richter is dissatisfied with the direction his life has taken: he risks to be fired any day because he can't meet scoops, lives in a dilapidated farm house, he sells drugs and even uses it. He is also so irresponsible with life and not caring of his finances that in the beginning scene his electricity is cut off and this ruins his date at the beginning with gorgeous blonde Trudy (Cameron Diaz).
Not only that, but Richter also owes money to his abusive drug dealer Ronnie Stover (Spader), that is married to Vicky (Deborah Kara Unger), who was disowned by her family after they knew about Ronnie's wereabouts. Vicky is also the sister of Keith Michaels (Michael Rooker) a depressed alcoholic obsessed with guns that has a huge inheritance that fails to soften his depression and loneliness. And then there is Cherry (Joanna Going) who buys drugs from Ronnie and ends up in bed with Richter. When Richter has the chance of a big scoop after the kidnapping of the son of wealthy Armon Shaw (James Coburn) he is put in a trap by Ronnie only to be saved by Keith, but I didn't cared any more.
The first and main problem is that there is no one to care of root for in the movie. The lead is a loser who still gets scolded by his mother and has a job only thanks to her, the drug dealer is a jerk, Keith was also obsessed to guns to the point of ending in the police station and being released only thanks to Richter, the women that served only for the purpose of showing some skin here and there. And you think that with a cast full of such big names of the 1990s (Stoltz, Spader, Rooker, Diaz, Coburn and the aforementioned others) the movie could have been ok at least, but nope. The actors did their best with the mediocre material they were given, but they surely deserved better.
Second, while I don't live in the US I known them very well and despite the movie is titled KEYS TO TULSA it wasn't shot in Tulsa. But in Texas. Now, why put Tulsa in the title of a movie if you don't film anything of the movie there? It seemed baffling and insulting. And there is also the music made with the Australian instrument didgeroo, despite the movie also hasn't NOTHING to do with Australia as well.
Third, the pace looked a bit sluggish and considering you can't care about any of the characters, you certainly want this movie to end as soon as possible. I can only assume that the director knew he was making a bad movie but didn't care and let all the elements do the rest. As another reviewer put it, this nonsensical film appears to have been directed by a coma victim and edited by an axe maniac. No truer words have ever been said about such a mess.
Overall, a very bad movie that is so bad it's surprising it got made in the first place. No characters to root for, a bad and incoherent plot, various absurd situations... just a recipe for disaster. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless for punishing someone very bad!
Richter (Stoltz) is a slacker and ethernal loser that comes from a privileged background in Tulsa and works at the local newspaper only because his mother (Mary Tyler Moore) did her best for making him land the job. However Richter is dissatisfied with the direction his life has taken: he risks to be fired any day because he can't meet scoops, lives in a dilapidated farm house, he sells drugs and even uses it. He is also so irresponsible with life and not caring of his finances that in the beginning scene his electricity is cut off and this ruins his date at the beginning with gorgeous blonde Trudy (Cameron Diaz).
Not only that, but Richter also owes money to his abusive drug dealer Ronnie Stover (Spader), that is married to Vicky (Deborah Kara Unger), who was disowned by her family after they knew about Ronnie's wereabouts. Vicky is also the sister of Keith Michaels (Michael Rooker) a depressed alcoholic obsessed with guns that has a huge inheritance that fails to soften his depression and loneliness. And then there is Cherry (Joanna Going) who buys drugs from Ronnie and ends up in bed with Richter. When Richter has the chance of a big scoop after the kidnapping of the son of wealthy Armon Shaw (James Coburn) he is put in a trap by Ronnie only to be saved by Keith, but I didn't cared any more.
The first and main problem is that there is no one to care of root for in the movie. The lead is a loser who still gets scolded by his mother and has a job only thanks to her, the drug dealer is a jerk, Keith was also obsessed to guns to the point of ending in the police station and being released only thanks to Richter, the women that served only for the purpose of showing some skin here and there. And you think that with a cast full of such big names of the 1990s (Stoltz, Spader, Rooker, Diaz, Coburn and the aforementioned others) the movie could have been ok at least, but nope. The actors did their best with the mediocre material they were given, but they surely deserved better.
Second, while I don't live in the US I known them very well and despite the movie is titled KEYS TO TULSA it wasn't shot in Tulsa. But in Texas. Now, why put Tulsa in the title of a movie if you don't film anything of the movie there? It seemed baffling and insulting. And there is also the music made with the Australian instrument didgeroo, despite the movie also hasn't NOTHING to do with Australia as well.
Third, the pace looked a bit sluggish and considering you can't care about any of the characters, you certainly want this movie to end as soon as possible. I can only assume that the director knew he was making a bad movie but didn't care and let all the elements do the rest. As another reviewer put it, this nonsensical film appears to have been directed by a coma victim and edited by an axe maniac. No truer words have ever been said about such a mess.
Overall, a very bad movie that is so bad it's surprising it got made in the first place. No characters to root for, a bad and incoherent plot, various absurd situations... just a recipe for disaster. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless for punishing someone very bad!