The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 American comedy set in the small Texas town of Gilbert, where a long-established brothel known as the Chicken Ranch has operated for generations under the management of Miss Mona Stangley. Mona runs the house with care for the women who work there and shares a long-standing relationship with Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd. Their arrangement is disrupted when television reporter Melvin P. Thorpe launches a moral campaign against the establishment, pressuring local authorities to shut it down. Mona and the sheriff must decide how far they are willing to go to protect the ranch and the community built around it.

The film was directed by Colin Higgins, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Masterson and Larry L. King. It was Higgins's third feature as director, following Foul Play in 1978 and Nine to Five in 1980. Dolly Parton stars as Mona, with Burt Reynolds as Sheriff Dodd and Dom DeLuise as Thorpe; Charles Durning, Jim Nabors and Robert Mandan appear in supporting roles.

Produced by Miller-Milkis-Boyett Productions on a budget of about 28 million dollars, the film took roughly 70 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.1 rating from around 14,000 votes, and on TMDB a 6.2 from 187 votes. A film critics' rating of 5.2 from 29 reviews places it below the audience scores.