A movie being “so bad it’s good” is a delicate balancing act. Usually, for a film to earn this colloquial distinction, a film must have failed critically, financially, creatively, and technically all at once, but done so with a certain flair that is so baffling that you cannot help but laugh at the absurdity of the fact that it took thousands of people and (at least) millions of dollars to make the thing happen in the first place.
Sometimes,bad movies can be more enjoyable than good movies, containing more whimsy or, perhaps, a raw human spirit that makes you not want to turn away. However, sometimes bad movies simply suck. One such movie isTexas Rangers, Steve Miner’s all-but-remembered 2001 Western starringAshton Kutcherand James Van Der Beek. However, now thatTexas Rangersis streaming onParamount+, it is getting a lot of retrospective streams despite the fact that it absolutely bombed at the box office. So, why isTexas Rangerssuddenly getting a second life?
What Is ‘Texas Rangers’ About?
Texas Rangerstakes place about ten years post the American Civil War. The governor of Texas, Leander McNelly (Dylan McDermott), is assembling a team of rangers to protect the U.S. Mexico border. Following the death of his family at the hands of legendary gunslinger John King Fisher (Alfred Molina) and his bandit gang, cowboy Lincoln Rogers Dennison (James Van Der Beek) is lost and looking for direction. That is when he crosses paths with George Durham (Ashton Kutcher), a fellow cowboy who has suffered the same fate by the same gang. Out for revenge, the two new friends decide to seek out and join McNelly’s Texas Rangers in Brownsville, Texas.
There, after a display of bravery, they are able to join the Rangers, and Lincoln quickly ascends the ranks, becoming McNelly’s secretary and right-hand man. Over the course of their journey to battle, Fisher, Lincoln and George encounter peril, romance, horses, and all the classic fare you would expect to find in a western until they all finally face off in a fort, andit’s all very Alamo. Who will land on the right side of justice?
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Everyone Is Watching ‘Texas Rangers’ Now
It is always interesting to examine why a movie is able to re-enter the zeitgeist after several decades. It is especially interesting when that movie was neverinthe zeitgeist to begin with, likeTexas Rangers. But, yes, but it turns out that people are seriously watchingTexas Rangersnow that it is on streaming. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 2% critic score and a 29% audience score. The disparity in those scores tells us something about the film developing a cult following with audiences at home over time. While the exact streaming numbers are not available, the film originally only grossed around $750,000 against a budget of $38 million dollars. Continuing discourse around the film online lets us know that, somehow,Texas Rangersdid not fall into complete obscurity after it originally flopped
This is no doubt due to the star power behindTexas Ranger’s cast. The aforementioned Ashton Kutcher, James Van Der Beek, Dylan McDermott, and Alfred Molina are all name-draws in-and-of themselves, but that’s not all. Perhaps the craziest name thatTexas Rangershas to boast is R&B superstar Usher Raymond in the supporting role of Randolph Douglas Scipio, and he’s actually quite good.Usher has quite a few other film credits to his name, notably,She’s All That(1999) alongside Rachel Leigh Cook, who also stars inTexas Rangers.
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But Maybe They Shouldn’t Watch the Western
Contrary to the earlier point about this not being a “so bad it’s good” movie, there is one case in which it might be: if you are ahugewestern fan. If you absolutely love the genre, you may enjoyTexas Rangersbecause it is a terribly made western. This could also be a reason why so many people are watching the movie. As someone who only barely likes the best westerns (not the hotels), this was a tough watch. It is bland and convoluted, not really propelled by any compelling character motivations. Not to mention, almost exclusively what feels like problematichistorical contexts to do with border politicsand the Civil War.
In the modern west, it does not feel possible to enjoy a movie about these topics irresponsibly, even without mentioning who producedTexas Rangers. Of course, this is all up to personal opinion, and there is totally a world in which one can find guilty pleasure in the mess thatTexas Rangersis unanimously agreed to be. Unlike The Alamo, this film feels like a bit of Texas history we could all stand to forget.
Texas Rangersis now streaming on Paramount +.
Texas Rangers
