- It was about halfway through Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller that I started wondering whether or not Warren Beatty's character, John McCabe, was ever actually known by his alleged nickname of "Pudgy." According to a rumor that may have originated entirely with the gossiping barkeep Sheehan (Rene Auberjonois), a ruthless gunman known as Pudgy McCabe once gunned down a rough hombre named Bill Roundtree over a game of cards. Thus, when John McCabe blows into town one rainy evening and sets a poker table, Sheehan naturally assumes that this is the same man. McCabe neither confirms nor denies, but I couldn't help but notice that he is neither fat nor particularly intimidating.
- Instead, McCabe prefers to describe himself as a businessman. Even this is difficult to swallow considering his unserious demeanor and the fact that he can't add two numbers together correctly, but admittedly the man possesses a great deal of money. Enough, in fact, to buy up most of the land in the town of Presbyterian Church and to begin construction on a new saloon. He also sets up what is probably the most unappealing whorehouse ever captured on film. This last detail doesn't escape the attention of the newly-arrived Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie), whose adopted title of "Mrs." is probably about as accurate as calling McCabe "Pudgy." You see, Mrs. Miller is a whore, and she's got some big plans for this little frontier town.
- The interactions and negotiations between McCabe and Mrs. Miller are truly a treat to watch. Whereas McCabe is a fountain of what Mrs. Miller refers to as "the frontier wit," consisting primarily of aphorisms describing frogs with wings and turds in pockets, Miller herself is a truly astute and competent businesswoman. Unsurprisingly, the two constantly argue over money, bathhouses, and whores, and more often than not these discussions take place through Mrs. Miller's locked door for reasons that eventually become clear. At the same time, it's obvious that McCabe is falling madly in love with Mrs. Miller, even if he would be the last person to admit such a thing. He complains that she has cost him nothing but "money and pain," but we know better.
- Unfortunately, it's not obvious that theirs is going to be a happy ending. After McCabe applies his usual tact to insult two representatives from a mining company, it becomes obvious that he'll need to start watching his back. As a result, McCabe greets the first interloper from out of town (Keith Carradine) with a gun, but he turns out to be a harmless cowboy looking for a decent whorehouse. The next set of travelers, however, proves to be a little more dangerous. In the film's most riveting scene, McCabe sits down and discusses mining deals with an imposing man named Butler (Hugh Millais). Trouble is, Butler doesn't make deals. It looks like McCabe broke a cardinal rule of card-playing: make sure you know the stakes of the game before you try to bluff.
- As with many of Altman's films, McCabe and Mrs. Miller slowly and quietly drew me in over the course of its first half hour, whereupon I suddenly realized that I loved it. As remarkable as Beatty and Christie's performances are, the real selling point for me was the town itself. While Altman is rightly known as a master of naturalistic dialogue (to the extent that some of it is downright unintelligible), his dedication to realism also extends to one of the most believable settings I've ever seen in a Western. The streets are muddy, people wear fur coats out of necessity, and the river ices over as winter sets in. Moreover, the town's buildings look as though they were actually constructed by frontiersmen, and I suspect that the film's final church fire was handled in one set-destroying take. It's a shame that McCabe doesn't get to enjoy the town he helped build, but I suppose "if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass so much, follow me?"
- Also featuring William Devane, John Schuck, and Shelley Duvall.
- This was Keith Carradine's film debut.
