The best thing about Going' South is the fact that Jack Nicholson gives us the force of his full blown personality in the lead role. And it's completely in character with the role he's enacting. Which is natural enough since the project was created for Jack Nicholson and directed by Jack Nicholson.

He's a rogue of an outlaw and sad to say that he gets caught when he least expects by a posse in hot pursuit to Mexico. They've got Jack for horse stealing and back in those days that was a capital crime in the old west.

Sheriff Richard Bradford and Deputy Christopher Lloyd, the latter who has a special grudge against Jack are ready to hang him legal and proper when a special law is invoked. It seems as though the aftermath of the Civil War left a shortage of men. So unless you've committed murder, if any widow wants to claim you for whatever reason, you can be married.

He's in luck when young Mary Steenburgen claims him, but she's far more interested in getting him to work a gold mine on her property. But she's a widow with other needs and even Jack the rogue has a charming way about him, if a direct one at times.

Going' South was Mary Steenburgen's first feature film and she matches Nicholson in her own way guile for guile. The Civil War left her a bride nearly intact shall we say, but she does accomplish her objectives with Jack.

Two really great gags that I liked was the posse's flagrant disregard for international law to bring Jack in. Second was an unfortunate encounter Christopher Lloyd had at an outhouse with some equine waste product, courtesy of Nicholson.

Going' South is a nice rollicking comedy where Jack Nicholson goes full blast with his quirky personality. For some reason it didn't catch on, but I think Nicholson fans and others will really like it.

"Goin' South" is an unusual picture, as it's a comedy western. Now such a film isn't unheard of...with prior films like "Cat Balou", "Blazing Saddles" and "Dirty Dingus Magee"...but it is a genre in which there just aren't that many movies. Plus, "Goin' South" is a comedy but compared to these others, it's a heck of a lot more normal! It's unusual for a few other reasons...it stars AND is directed by Jack Nicholson, many of the co-stars are late 70s TV comedy actors (with Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and John Belushi) and it's the screen debut for Mary Steenburgen. It's also unusual for a Niicholson because it was a box office failure.

The film begins in 1866 with Henry Moon (Nicholson) riding like mad towards the Mexican border. He's a horse thief and a posse is chasing him. Unfortunately for Moon, they catch him and soon he's sentenced to hang. But just before he is to die, he gets a reprieve. Apparently this town has a strange law...that if a woman wants to, she can marry any man sentenced to hang provided he's not a murderer. And, at the very last moment, Julia (Steenburgen) volunteers to marry him. But it's certainly NOT done for romantic reasons...she just needs a hand to help her with her mine. What's next? See the film.

Nicholson and Steenburgen are quite good in this movie. As for the comic relief, although John Belushi is in the film, he doesn't say or do much. According to IMDB, this could be because he and Nicholson did NOT get along at all...and so much of Belushi's part was removed. Christopher Lloyd makes a lot of goofy faces...and is more prominent in the movie and Danny Devito is there...but says and does very little.

So is it worth seeing? Yes. While it's not a rollicking comedy, it is cute and clever and plot-driven...and also features a bit of romance, albeit rather odd romance! However, be forewarned...the consummation of this marriage is a bit problematic when seen today, as it would probably be seen as a bit 'rapey'.

It's post-war Texas. Petty criminal Henry Lloyd Moon (Jack Nicholson) is set to hang. Due to the lack of men, there is a local law allowing a woman to marry and take responsibility for such a criminal. Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) volunteers to marry him. She needs help to work on a secret gold mine and plans to move away to Philadelphia before being evicted by the approaching railroad.

This law seems problematic. There are unexplored unintended consequences. Nicholson has such a prankster personality that he doesn't accentuates his criminal's threatening personality. Steenburgen doesn't help to heighten the romance. That is this movie's major issue. At no point do I buy this couple loving or even liking each other. Jack Nicholson is trying his hand in directing and he doesn't show much great skills. It's not visually arresting and he seems to just let the actors go. The movie never convinces me of the couple's love and I could never buy any cooperation in the gold. It's almost a relief that he takes a turn but I never believed it. This movie has some central flaws and can't work its way out of them.