mam
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5
"Light of Day"
Directed by Paul
Schrader
Starring Michael J. Fox,
Joan Jett and Gena
Rowlands
★
There have been
several great movies
about real rock ’n ! roll
bands in fictional
situations.
There have been
several great movies
about real rock ’n’ roll
bands in real situations.
But, with the exception
of Rob Reiner’s rolicking
“This Is Spinal Tap,”
there has never been a
good movie about unreal
rock ’n’ roll bands in
fictional, documentary or
concert situations.
“Light of Day”
combines all the bad
aspects of why purely
fictional rock V roll
movies fail — bad music,
bad plot, bad direction
and bad acting.
“Light of Day” stars
Joan Jett and Michael J.
Fox as Joe and Patti
Rasnick, a brother and
sister rock ’n’ roll team.
During the night they play
with their band, the
Barbusters, at various
Cleveland bars. During
the day Joe works at a
sheet metal plant while
Patti takes care of her 4-
year-old, illegitimate son,
Benji (Billy Sullivan).
Mother Jeanette
Rasnick (Gena Rowlands)
doesn’t approve of her
daughter’s rock ’n’ roll
lifestyle. Joe tries to keep
the family together but
mother’s religous fervor
and daughter’s
rebelliousness are in
Patti and Joe Rasnick (Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox) are siblings who
leave behind their small-town, blue-collar life to play in a rock band.
constant conflict. There is
little chance that either
party will forgive the
other’s stubbomess.
After a disasterous trip
out on the road, the
Barbusters split up. Joe
goes back home to take
care of Benji, Patti joins a
Heavy Metal band called
the Hunzz and the rest of
the band goes back to
their day jobs or other
bands.
Mother Rasnick
develops terminal cancer
so, in a most predictable
turn of the plot, Patti goes
back to Cleveland and
reconciles her differences
with her mother. The
Barbusters get back
together and everything’s
peachy keen.
“Light of Day,” with its
religous-parent-doesn’t-
approve-of-offspring’s-
choice-to-make-music
plot, can trace its roots
back to 1927 in A1
Jolson’s “The Jazz
Singer. ” At least Jolson,
could sing.
Michael J. Fox has
shown acting ability on
television’s “Family Ties”
and in the film “Back to
the Future,” but his acting
can’t overcome the fact
that he looks more like
Wally Cleaver than a rock
’n’ roll sheet metal
worker. The only thing
worse than Fox’s guitar
playing is Joan Jett’s
acting.
Three albums with the
Blackhearts showed that
Jett didn’t have much to
offer the music world.
“Light of Day” shows that
she doesn’t have much to
offer the movie world
either. Her idea of acting
is to look like she’s mad at
the world throughout the
entire film.
The music in the film is
dreadful. The Barbusters
crank through their sets
with all the energy of Phil
Collins playing a bar
mitzvah. The title song,
although written by Bruce
Springsteen, sounds like a
John Cafferty rip-off.
Even the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, one of the
best bar bands in the
world, come off looking
like Wayne Newton in
Vegas instead of a real
band in their brief
appearance.
The most disappointing
aspect of the film is that it
was written and directed
by Paul Schrader, a man
who, until now, has made
nothing but brilliant films.
Schrader, who showed
that he had a feeling for
capturing the feel of life
on the streets in his
screenplays for Martin
Scorsese’s films “Taxi
Driver” and “Raging
Bull,” has written a script
riddled with cliches and
stereotypes.
If you have ever played
in a band, been to a
concert or even bought a
record, you will know the
problem that plagues
“Light of Day.” It just ain’t
rock ’n’ roll.
—Review by Kari
Pallmeyer
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