BANDIDAS: CHARACTERS, COMEDY & COSTUMES

Salma Hayek. Penelope Cruz. And randomly, (a rather despicable) Dwight Yoakum. The cast of the 2006 film, Bandidas, is about as multifarious as its characters. The plot is a subversive social statement wrapped in snarky comedy, dipped in slapstick stunt work, and costumed in corsets. For us, it’s that last part.

Image from Bandidas

“Oh my word, have you seen it? It’s no Academy Award winner, that’s for sure,” Cheryl laughed. “The weird thing is, it’s not really my ‘type’ of film at all; I don’t usually seek out that kind of comedy, or even sit all the way through one. But if something visually intrigues me, I’m in; I’ll watch it until the end. And the costumes in Bandidas did that. I liked the tightrope they walked between rugged and racy, and just the structure of it all.”

Image from Bandidas

Image from Bandidas

While we incorporated design elements from the wardrobes of both Sara Sandoval and Maria Alvarez – and some of the hapless characters in their wake – it should come as no surprise that the determined, competitive, rough-and-tumble daughter of a hardworking farmer was the one with whom we identified the most. Hence why this collection of Cowgirls Closets was ultimately named Maria.

“Penelope and Salma were great, don’t get me wrong,” Cheryl added. “Their on-screen chemistry was evident, their banter was fun, and they had a quirky -- if not silly -- kind of charm. But for me, the costumes outshined the characters. They were just so great. The chaps, the corsets, the hats. The way they balanced feminine and masculine. The costuming for Bandidas was really well done, and that, for me, was what made it fun to watch – and rewatch!”

Well-dressed women with resolve, and a little on the rowdy side? What can we say, it won us over. (Not that we need to defend our affinity for this cheesy chick flick – everyone has their own guilty pleasure.)

Never seen Bandidas? Take a word from the wise via our man, Mitchell Franz:

“Watch it, but watch it with a grain of salt. And a glass of wine.”

You can stream it currently on HBO Max, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.