Waking up in Reno

By EWAN McDONALD

(Herald rating: * *)

Well, what a cast. Hell, what a car-crash of a movie. Billy Bob Thornton as Lonnie Earl, car dealer of Little Rock, Arkansas, who cheats on his wife, Darlene (Natasha Richardson), with Candy (Charlize Theron), wife of his best friend, Roy (Patrick Swayze).

The foursome take a new Remuera tractor from the yard and drive to Reno, past a steak-eating contest in Texas and the Grand Canyon, because Darlene has always wanted to see Tony Orlando (yep, the Knock Three Times and Tie A Yellow Ribbon one) and because Candy wants to kick back and get pregnant. And that's probably more than you needed to know.