Bad Girls

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, Bad Girls follows four old-west prostitutes (Madeleine Stowe’s Cody Zamora, Mary Stuart Masterson’s Anita Crown, Andie MacDowell’s Eileen Spenser, and Drew Barrymore’s Lily Laronette) as they’re forced to go on the run after killing a man in self defense. Filmmaker Kaplan, working from a script by Ken Friedman and Yolande Finch’s screenplay, delivers a briskly-paced yet woefully erratic endeavor that does, at least, benefit from the affable efforts of its leads, as the stars turn in engaging, charismatic work that is, for the most part, far better and more accomplished than the picture tends to deserve – with the actresses’ effective efforts matched by an entertainingly eclectic periphery cast that includes Robert Loggia, James Russo, and Dermot Mulroney. It’s clear, then, that Bad Girls‘ overall impact is dulled significantly by a rather meandering midsection and collection of underdeveloped protagonists, with, in terms of the latter, Stowe’s Cody the only figure to ultimately receive more than just a cursory amount of character development – which ensures, certainly, that it does become increasingly difficult to work up any real interest in or sympathy for the heroes’ continuing (and perilous) exploits. By the time the admittedly exciting climax rolls around, Bad Girls has certainly cemented its place as a hit-and-miss piece of work that is, if nothing else, fairly watchable from start to finish.

**1/2 out of ****