About the best thing that can be said about The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox is that its Old West settings have a little more flavor than most. They seem bigger and a little more laid-out than most, and they favor a few hills in their environs rather than the usual flat-as-a-pancake-within-the-city-limits look. That one has time to make such observations about the settings is, unfortunately, because there's so little else of interest to watch onscreen -- and even less of interest to listen to. The screenplay is mechanical and clunky, hoping to get away with trite and unbelievable situations because it carries a (for its time period) "naughtiness" and "rawness" that tries to make up for the been-there, done-that aspects of the script. It ends up being deadly dull instead. Even worse is the dreadful song "Lemon Drops, Lollipops and Sunbeams" that rears its ugly head midway through the film and makes the viewer long for the stilted dialogue to return. Melvin Frank's direction is of absolutely no help and shows nary the slightest spark of imagination. Under the circumstances, the stars do the best they can, and Goldie Hawn actually manages to pull forth a few smiles and one or two outright laughs. That's not enough to make Duchess bearable, but it's about all that anyone could ask.