Rhinestone

I remember RHINESTONE's extremely short tenure in theaters when I was a teenager but never saw the film until it turned up unexpectedly on Country Music Television (CMT) earlier this week. I sat down expecting to laugh AT the movie, not WITH it, because on paper, the idea of Sylvester Stallone learning to become a country singer so that Dolly Parton can win a bet with her sleazy manager sounds like a train wreck of Biblical proportions. But y'know what? In spite of myself I found myself chuckling at the screwball humor in RHINESTONE. Stallone is not exactly known for his comedic stylings, but I have to give him credit, he gave it the old college try in his role as a mumble-mouthed NYC cabbie who tries hard to discover his inner redneck. Dolly Parton, well, she's Dolly Parton. She made quite a few movies in the late 70s and early 80s and though she may not be considered a great actress, she's light, funny, and easy on the eyes as well. Some of the priceless moments include Sly's fringed, sparkly stage wear (which wouldn't have looked out of place in the Blue Oyster Bar of "Police Academy" fame), Dolly punching out Tim Thomerson (Jack Deth would be horrified at how easily she took him out!), and Sly's race through the mean streets of 1984 Times Square on horseback to rescue Dolly from her manager's clutches. On the musical side, well, let's just say I doubt that the soundtrack album to RHINESTONE burned up the charts back in '84. Dolly can sing anything and make it sound good, so Sly should be grateful that she joins him on stage in the big finale to salvage his "performance" (and I use that term loosely). I doubt Sly Stallone looks back on this movie with much fondness, but considering that I was expecting a total cheese fest I was pleasantly surprised by this fluffy '80s comedy. They really don't make'em like this anymore.

This film is definitely a goof ball but that is what it set out to be. It's totally farcical & wonderful. Favourite scenes include Steven Apostle Peck who plays Sly's dad. The first is when we meet Peck's character in the organ room & the second is the hilarious scene around the dinner table. I bust a gut watching that scene. So funny.

One important thing I've learned in studying film is that there is a difference between a film you love & a great film. They can be one in the same, as is the case with a film such as The Godfather Part II. This is an masterfully made film that I enjoyed. Or they can be separate. For instance, I recognize that Slumdog Millionaire is a well made film, I just didn't like it. I didn't connect with it. I didn't care what happened. And on the converse, I recognize that Rhinestone isn't really that great a film but I really enjoyed it. I connected with the characters, it made me laugh & I generally found pleasure in it. So I rate it 10/10 for enjoyment.

Love to Steven Peck

This one was quite an embarrassment to Sly, as he's often said while interviewed. I like Dolly Parton & they no doubt had their fun making this film but I was as shocked as so many of Sly's other fans were to see him doing things here that are so un-like him & what he's 'expected' to be! So much of it was 'un-cool'. Yet there were some tender moments between him & Dolly. All in all, if these 2 wanted to do a film together, they needed another vehicle. It seemed Sly moved over in Parton's 'territory' when she should have moved on over to his if they wanted this to work. Of course, that's just my opinion. Rent this one if you want to laugh at Sly.

i never thought this was a bad movie. my mom used to watch it all the time,and loved it. i don't love it,but i still think it's all right. stallone is funny in this movie. not real funny,but funny. the plot is full of holes,but amusing,and entertaining scenes help me forget about the holes in the plot. all in all it's not as bad as people say. i give rhinestone **1/2 out of ****

Now, there are lots of films that are total trash, and when I saw the comments and reviews on this one, I thought I was in for a real stinker. Big surprise: I actually laughed several times during this! Dialogue unfunny? I've heard some good stuff here (e.g. the comments by Stallone on his rival Barnett, as well as the dialogue of these two), and you could do a lot worse. And I mean A LOT! Bad acting? Now, Sly will never be an oscar-winner (though he was pretty good in COPLAND), but at least he's likeable. I've never seen Steven Seagal or my fellow countryman JC Van Damme being likeable. Dolly may not be the greatest actress either, but hell, she CAN sing (and I thought I couldn't stand country!)and she's adorable in a way that even reminds me of Marilyn Monroe. Love it when she laughs too. Well, and with support from actors such as Ron Leibman (Razzie nominee? This guy is funny and appropriately slimy)and Richard Farnsworth (THE STRAIGHT STORY, always a pleasure to watch). The singing? Well, if ya like Dolly's singing, there's plenty of it in this film. And Sly ain't that bad either. Not great, but hey, what you expect given the story. This is supposed to sound like this, this ain't the biography of say Garth Brooks! I even liked the macho country singer singing about his girl ending up in pieces (lol).

I know, this ain't the greatest comedy of all times, this ain't a rave review, and people (especially critics) like to make fun of Sly and Dolly. But you can do a lot worse than this and end up with films such as BAD DEFENSE or BATMAN & ROBIN, EXCESS BAGGAGE, SHALLOW HAL or (shudder) BLIND DATE (with Bruce Willis). I was really surprised that I ended up enjoying this, and that I actually laughed a couple of times. The story has almost no surprises, but it ain't terribly cliched either. And that, people, is more than you can say about 90% of the comedies these days. 6/10