It seemed like it was only a matter of time before the successful blog of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, was turned into a movie. And it’s telling that a few weeks back Drummond said that the person she’d most want to play her would be Reese Witherspoon. Now Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that Columbia has bought the rights to Ree’s love story, Black Heels and Tractor Wheels, and will develop it as a star vehicle for Witherspoon. Seems like a good fit, one supposes, although Ree is famously a redhead. Will they dress up Ree —- se to look like Ree?
Drummond’s site, though, is kind of an illusion. While she presents this picture to her audience that they are getting a sneak peak into her world of cattle ranching, photography, cooking and home schooling – what is really going on behind the scenes couldn’t possibly look like that. For one thing, there would be tripods and a big old camera angling on the food during cooking. There would be phone calls, publicists, faxing going on — there would be talk of business, money and all of that – none of which is presented on her blog. What we see every day is supposedly what goes on in an average day on her Oklahoma farm.
The DHD post says that it will focus on Ree’s love story with her cattle rancher husband, Marlboro Man, as she calls him. The love story, called “Black Heels and Tractor Wheels” goes back when she and he met “in a smoky bar” and “he was wearing Wranglers.” She was supposedly on her way to a city girl life in Chicago when she was stopped cold by Marlboro Man.
Again, it is presented slightly in a different way than it is in reality, which is that Marlboro Man is actually part of a cattle ranching dynasty in Oklahoma. That in itself is a big chunk that has always been left out of Ree’s downhome take on her country life with her “yoga pants with holes in them,” etc.
On the other hand, there seems to be no end to Ree’s success – her blog is incredibly popular. Her latest cookbook became a New York Times bestseller. She’s been on Good Morning America and the Bonnie Hunt Show and the QVC.
It’s hard to say whether Ree’s charm will shine through this project, or whether it will fall flat as a pancake the way the Julie parts of Julie & Julia did. From my perspective, I don’t think it’s possible to really portray a blogger’s life very well on TV. It’s hard to transpose what happens between writer and reader.
But that doesn’t seem to be stopping Hollywood from wanting to dive into this sick little world of ours. I have mixed feelings about Ree Drummond – The Movie. For one thing, there is no point to take a giant piss into that sparkling pool. It is already a great thing, just as it is. And secondly, though I can see Ree fighting it constantly and pretending to make her blog appear like just a normal gal out on the prairie – somehow it makes me feel like the good old days are just about over.
I myself have been following Ree’s site for a few years now and have learned more than a few things about photography, cooking, and other things. She gives back to her audience on a daily basis and works hard to keep it funny but also not political in the least bit. Her audience is made up almost entirely of women. There isn’t any indication whether this will be a film or film for television. But we’ll be keeping an eye on it as it develops.
