After 20 years, I'd have to say...it doesn't hold up that well. BUT, that's not to say, it brings a tug of nostalgia for that era of Jerry Bruckheimer slick music video retreads of "Flashdance" A lot of it is due to Diane Warren's corny soundtrack music. And those of us who were in college by now, have a slight shiver when we hear her anthems. Which nearly toppled another Jerry Bruckheimer gem "Con Air" with "How Do I Live Without You" Oof.

The present day woman would consider that dis-empowering to be so attached to a man (or perhaps this could be used towards other women). Speaking of which, the topic at hand is "Coyote Ugly." Presumably, an article led to this story (written by Gina Wendkos). I recall a friend had moved to New York City and discovered a bar called Hogs and Heifers, which shared very similar rambunctious behavior (nailing bras to the wall). And dancing on bars and so forth. In Jerry Bruckheimer world...it's PG-13. So none of the topless stuff is displayed (unless you get the unrated DVD/Blu-Ray which shows Piper Perabo's funbags).

Though this movie is about making it in the big city, it is somewhat laughable at the truncated timeline. Within a few weeks Violet Sanford (Perabo) becomes the hottest songwriter in the country with a number 1 hit that is sung by Leanne Rhimes. And though these girls are suppose to be world and tough, the painfully model casting of...Tyra Banks, Bridget Moynahan, Izabella Miko and Maria Bello set this in a truly fantastical mystical world I'd reserve for...um...say Hollywood. If that was the intention than kudos to director David McNally. To me, it seems less genuine. Jennifer Beals would seem like a dog up agains these girls. Any way, great to see John Goodman pop up as Violet's New Jersey dad (though still seems like he can't shake that Dan Conner-ness) and Bud Cort's very small cameo. Clearly this movie was made to rake in the jiggle factor. So, cheers to them for recognizing what it exists for. Also special note to cinematographer Amir Mokri. Great lighting. I feel this may get a re-release in the future. That will stand up well.

In many ways, actually, 'Coyote Ugly' from personal opinion didn't even come close to good.

Feel-good films when done right are very entertaining and heart-warming. However 'Coyote Ugly', while with its moments, has too many faults that are at worst ineptly done to succeed as a feel-good film.

Starting with 'Coyote Ugly's' good things, the best asset by far is the soundtrack, which is quite brilliant and deserved a far better film. The LeAnn Rimes numbers "The Right Kind of Wrong", "Please Remember" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight" particularly stand out of the songs, as does the classic Elvis Presley standard "Can't Help Falling in Love", one of the most beautiful all-time great romantic songs. The score is very nice too.

While the acting wasn't great at all, there is one good performance and it is that of John Goodman, who is an entertaining and amiably likable father figure. Some of the camera work is quite smart too.

On the other hand, while the music itself is of really high-quality it does feel too constant with little break and like there could have been less, there were definitely scenes that would have benefited much more without it or at least from music with a less intrusive approach. Too many scenes feel like amateurishly edited and lazily choreographed, with a lot of gloss and either being overblown or lacking energy, music videos, which is a huge problem in a film full of them and with a wafer-thin story that feels like an excuse to string these scenes together.

Also hugely problematic is how cliché-ridden and stereotypical it is. Not just the story, which has every done to death cliché in the book that everything feels forced and predictable with ridiculous and laughable dramatic elements with little chemistry and no substance or emotional connection whatsoever. We are also talking about the characters in a film loaded with every possible stereotype, another problem being that apart from Cammie and Bill very few of them are likable, with a difficult to relate to protagonist, and some add nothing to the film, Maria Bello's character is particularly useless and only there because the film "needed" the obligatory boss stereotype.

Goodman aside, the performances are not great, or even good, at all. Adam Garcia is particularly bad, with an acting ability so limited it's almost non-existent and he feels out of place too. He doesn't even work as eye candy that well. Piper Perabo tries hard but too often lacks charisma and doesn't display a wide range of emotions with sudden shifts in character that undermine the character's growth. Everybody else is bland or annoying though Izabella Miko has moments of charm. Dialogue is painfully trite and thin throughout, while the direction lacks panache and flash. The film looks alright, especially in the colours, locations and the camera work, which show a lot of style, but cheapened by too much gloss and amateurish editing.

Overall, there is a great soundtrack but 'Coyote Ugly' falls far short. 3/10 Bethany Cox

I feel like my mum named me about Leanne, but wouldn't be true as this film came out after I was born. She's a top chick, great performer and even got some dance moves to boot! Good feel good movie.