I missed the beginning, but I gather that Jack Nicholson's bank robber character was about to be hung, until Mary Steenburgen claims he's her husband, or gets him to agree to marry her in exchange for not being executed. Substitute a rope around the neck for a dog collar, am I right, fellas? Eh? Eh?
Look, I'd see myself out, but I live here, so. . .
Steenburgen's trying to find the gold vein her father was sure was on the property, before some unscrupulous dickweed named Polty claims her land for the railroad via eminent domain. If Jack tries to runoff, his execution gets carried out. Nicholson plays a ragged, dirty guy who sounds perpetually stuffed up (his snotty nose voice starts to grate after awhile. Use a damn tissue), and just wants to get back to Mexico. Steenburgen plays a very determined, but kind of odd woman who's entirely focused on her goal. Find the gold, move to Philadelphia.
So the "total opposites who gradually decide they like each other" thing. Complicated by some of his old bank robbing gang showing up (including Danny DeVito playing a character called "Hog"), and the fact one of the deputies (played by Christopher Lloyd, with the other played by John Belushi pretending to be Mexican) was sweet on Steenburgen and is just waiting for Nicholson to slip up so he can kill him.
When I lay it all out like that, it feels like this should be a better movie. That's a lot of fun actors, but it never really elevates itself above the basic romcom level its premise exists at.
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