classicsoncall
If you don't mind the anachronistic approach the movie takes it can be fairly entertaining. The music is upbeat and designed to move your feet, but the whole time I listened to the Cruisers of 1963 I couldn't help but think about the actual music of the era bearing no relationship at all to what the band was playing. OK, it was mentioned that their music was ahead of it's time, but it actually took twenty years for Springsteen, Southside Johnny and John Cafferty to make their mark with the Asbury Park sound. This movie had it up and running during the Dion and Elvis era, and even before the Beatles led the British Invasion to the States which occurred a year later. So that part of the movie didn't work for me.But if you were born in the Eighties and watch this film today, not having the perspective of growing up with the music of the Sixties probably won't make much difference. The hunt for the missing 'Season of Hell' recordings drives the story as former members of the Cruisers make an attempt to relive past glory without their leader, who mysteriously disappeared in a car wreck following a recording session. When Doc Robbins (Joe Pantoliano) was exposed by Frank (Tom Berenger) for running the Eddie scam on Joann (Helen Schneider) it solved one mystery, but who was it that went around wrecking the rooms of the other band members looking for the missing tapes? That was never adequately addressed, and if it was Doc himself, he got a much bigger pass for being a jerk than the story allowed.At least in keeping with the spirit of the Sixties, there's a handful of tunes like 'My Little Runaway" and 'Run Around Sue' to keep things anchored in the proper time frame, and that song about Betty Lou and her new pair of shoes would have been right up Jerry Lee Lewis's alley. I see the movie has it's base of fans on this board, including some who regard it as one of the best music films ever. But writing today, when I plug the picture into my list of 'Concert and Music Movies' I've reviewed here on IMDb and run the list in ranking order, it comes out #45 out of fifty seven films. That places it one notch above the Four Seasons flick "Jersey Boys" - who would have come up with that coincidence?
marknjulie-73088
The summary is already told in other entries on this site. I just love these two movies.Some people are so critical. I don't get them. These two movies had great acting, great music, and a compelling story line. I've watched them both about 50 times!!! (I am a 67 year old female musician). My friends have watched these two movies and all love them, too!!! It captures a time that I can relate to, but it's for people of any age whole just like movies about musicians.I agree with Michael Pare's own analysis when he said this movie made him a movie actor.He has been in tons of B- movies and some television an after "The Cruisers" and apparently he always has work, so his style of acting obviously is in demand !!!!! He is not a big name star, but there is somethingvery intriguing about him. As Eddy Wilson, he was totally believable. Of course I developed aa crush on him with those beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile. But he played the lead singer part with perfection. I thought the lip-syncing was great. I don't understand how critical people can be about a movie like this!!! i am so glad they made this movie and I hope it continues to make money through the decades. It deserves a prominent place in the archives of movies about musicians.
rooprect
This film, along with "Amadeus" and "This Is Spinal Tap", has woven its way into the culture and lingo of musicians around the world. Classic lines like, "Do it my way with the cesarean", "We ain't great--we're just a bunch of guys from Jersey", and the all time rocker, "WORDS AND MUSIC" (with the appropriate finger gesture), can be heard in every recording studio and rehearsal room in the English speaking world.So if you're a musician--or even if you just want to hang out with musicians--you must watch this film, otherwise you'll look like a total n00b.Even to non-musical audiences, this movie is a work of art. It's a nostalgic and poetic trip back to the early 1960s when America was just emerging from its cocoon of innocence. The entire film is a metaphor for this. Eddie's music, like life itself, dared to venture beyond the bubble gum into a world of complex social and personal issues... literally, the "Dark Side" of American life.Once you grasp this fundamental theme, you will appreciate the entire film on a deep level. It's not just a rock'n'roll romp. It's a profound commentary on the growing pains our society endured in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Told in flashback, the story takes on a particularly tragic air, as if you were browsing through a dusty old scrapbook of your childhood memories, now gone forever.The story/mystery is set in the first 5 minutes, and for the remaining 90 mins it unravels concurrently in 2 timelines to a brilliant finale. Acting is absolutely flawless, camera-work is both tense and dreamy, and the clincher is the fantastic music, a retro soundtrack by John Cafferty with songs you'd swear you'd heard from the 50s but were actually written in 1980: "On the Dark Side", "Tender Years" & "Wild Summer Nights" to name some of the best. Check em out on Youtube if you can.Vivid characters bring this story to life. In "Eddie and the Cruisers", the two lead characters personify the duality of a soul. First there's Eddie (Michael Paré) who is the dark, explosive force yearning to evolve. His counterpart is the naïve kid Ridgeway (played by Tom Berenger showing off his amazing versatility as an actor--just 2 years before his role in "Platoon" as the sadistic Vietnam commander. Can you believe it's the same guy?!). The two characters wrestle with each other, at times best friends, at times worst enemies, but always bound together by the thread of music. I'll leave you to discover the philosophical implications of their conflict and its outcome.Notable supporting performances are made by young actors Joe Pantoliana ("Risky Business", "The Fugitive", "The Matrix", perhaps best known for "The Sopranos"), Matthew Laurance (tons of 80s-90s TV), Ellen Barkin ("The Big Easy"), and Eddie's girl played by Helen Schneider who surprisingly never did any other feature films.Some people criticize this film as being "B grade" or "cheezy". Sure, why not. To me, that only added to its charm. The 80s itself was a time of innocence & simplicity relative to today's gritty cinema. Isn't it fitting that we, living in our mega-produced, paranoid, cynical new millennium would enjoy watching an honest 80s flick which itself is taking a look back to the warmth of its prior generation? It's like a window within a window. Don't miss the magic of this experience.I've seen 20 or 30 rock'n'roll films and this is hands down my favorite. Other faves include, by decade they depict, "Jailhouse Rock" (a surprisingly angsty 50s Elvis flick), of course "Eddie" (early 60s) and "Head" (late 60s trippy Monkees flick), "Spinal Tap" (a 70s metal spoof), "Music & Lyrics" (an 80s pop spoof), "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" (80s thru present day comeback attempt/comedy/documentary) and "Garage Days" (a 90s Aussie rock comedy by the director of "The Crow"). Worthy of note is "Looking for an Echo" (2000) by the same writer/director who did "Eddie", it presents a parallel story of what might've happened to a 50s singer if he slowly faded into obscurity.Hope this review made sense to you. "I nearly broke my fingers" typing it. Haha. Watch the movie and you'll get it.P.S. If you see the film, make note that "Wendell" the sax player is actually the one who played sax on the soundtrack. In addition, the writers went to great lengths to ensure that the instruments of the era were used (Wurlitzer 140b piano, old Fender Strat guitar, etc). But notice how the piano isn't plugged in! Doh! Almost perfect. Almost.
