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Rock and Roll: The Movie
USA 2016
produced by Jethro Rothe-Kushel, Philip M. Cohen (executive) for Rocking and Rolling Productions, Saddle Ranch Productions
directed by Darren Dowler
starring Darren Dowler, Clark Koelsch, Vince Corazza, Chip Bent, Daniel Laney, Mara Marini, Bill Oberst jr, Cindy Merrill, Kammy Burnett, Allene Quincy, Dianne Perry, Raina Dowler, Anne McDaniels, Steffanie Siebrand, Shawn Parikh, Sam Cohen, Kate Cohen, Brent Williams, Patrick M.J. Finerty, Jeff Daly, Stevie Mack, Jonas Garvin, Michael Patrick Larson, Chris Smith, Tanner Thomason, Dorian Cedars, Claudia Reame, Jon Morgan Woodward, Ben Harjo, Alexis Amore, Jack Nolan, Larry Marko, Bernard Skibben, Dalton Kropp, Dorothy Sinclair, Philip M. Cohen, Damian Beard, Randi Howell, Elvis Winterbottom, Ethan Michael, Given Life, Victoria Masina, Tyler Holfman, Randy Radloff
written and music by Darren Dowler
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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David (Clark Koelsch) is a country boy coming to the big city and try
and make it as a music agent. He has read all about the subject, so he
figures he's cut out for the job, but fact is he knows little about the
actual people working in the business - like William Smythe (Daniel
Laney), a slimey top agent who's more interested in banging his talent
than actually signing artists though. David wants to learn from Smythe,
but he isn't interested ... until he sees David's vintage convertible. Now
he is interested, and bets David can't get a "top act" a record
deal in four months. David enthusiastically signs on - and feels crushed
when he learns that "top act" is the local drunk Steve Taylor
(Darren Dowler), who sure enough was a promising artist 20 years ago, but
now he's all washed up, and only his drinking buddies Bill (Vince Corazza)
and Ted (Chip Bent) see to it that he doesn't fall completely off the rail
- but manage only barely. First when David introduces himself to Steve
then, he's promptly chased away, as Steve was burnt by an agent once (and
no prize goes to whoever guesses who that agent was) and now doesn't want
to have to do anything with that kind of people. It's only when Steve sees
his little son (Sam Cohen) is about to give up on his dreams because his
stepdad told him that he sees how he has wasted his own life that he wants
to get back in the saddle, even if that means to cut back on his drinking.
Of course, getting Steve back in shape almost kills him, but his voice and
skills on the guitar are still top-notch - and so, David manages to set up
a big concert that's going to mark Steve's comeback ... and nobody at all
shows up. Of course that's thanks to Smythe's sabotage, but crying over
that is like crying over spilt milk. David has only two and a half more
weeks, and still nothing to show ... until he hears about a "battle
of the bands" with a record contract promised to the winner, on the
very day David's four months expire. Of course, Steve has the talent (and
now also the sobriety) to win - but Smythe still has some aces up his
sleeve ... Horror fave Bill Oberst jr plays a barman who's never short
of advice - but hilariously enough that advice is only rarely to the
point. Now despite Rock and Roll: The Movie's
writer/director/star Darren Dowler having been involved in the music
industry for quite some decades, this is by no means a movie that gives
you an insider's look behind the scenes of the musicworld - instead it's a
silly comedy and never aspires to be anything more ... but it is great fun
at what it is, 90 minutes to just lean back in your seat and have a good
time, with pretty cool (old school rock) music, jokes that aren't always
high on political correctness and/or are in bad taste, and plenty of bare
boobs to accompany everything. Basically, a near-perfect party movie,
actually!
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