BEFORE: See, I didn't catch this film when it was first released, and then somehow thirty years went by, and I just never felt the need. But when I knew I was going to watch other films about aspiring musicians, I saw a way to work it in. Linking from "Hustle & Flow", Isaac Hayes was also in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" with Clarence Williams III.
AFTER: There just doesn't seem to be much story here, if you ask me. There's barely enough plot to get from one song to the next, which isn't all that uncommon. Whether you enjoy this film or not probably hinges on how you feel about the soundtrack. The acting is generally abysmal, much of it seems re-dubbed, which makes me wonder what was wrong with those actors' voices - do they all talk like Mickey Mouse, or worse, Donald Duck?
My first paid day of work in the entertainment industry was in 1988, and it happened to be on the set of a music video for Apollonia, titled "Since I Fell For You". (Sample lyrics: "I'm past the point of no return / The beating of your heart is all I yearn." What??) I never met her, it was a prep-day where the equipment got picked up, the studio backdrop got painted, and the props were purchased. I spent about 6 hours finding the perfect stool for her to sit on - first I was sent down to the Bowery (aka the restaurant supply district) to find a stool, and I had to verbally describe every stool I found over a payphone to the director - this was in the days before cell phones, digital cameras, or phones with cameras. None of the stools were right (or perhaps I didn't describe them well enough) so I was then sent up to a real furniture store to get a catalog, and after bringing the catalog back to the director so she could select a stool, it was BACK to the furniture store to buy the stool. By the time I got the stool back to the shoot, everyone else had finished their jobs and gone home, but I still had to assemble the stool and spray-paint it matte black, since it had a glossy finish that might shine on camera.
All for a stool, mind you, that would be under Apollonia's butt and hardly even seen - in the end I think the stool was in the video for about 7 seconds. This was when I got my first indication that working in the film business wasn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows. I was in class the next day, when they shot the video, so I missed hearing her manager say, "She's not that strong of a singer, so let's see some more cleavage!" and I also missed seeing her boob subsequently fall out of her blouse during a dance move. (You can see it on YouTube, though - pause at 4:00) I got to work on another music video the next day, but for a different artist - Rick James.
But I find it hilarious that Miss "Apple-Baloney" was playing a 19-year old character here. Her IMDB page says she was born in 1959, so that's means she was 24. But she was born in Greece, so her age can't be verified, so I'm guessing she was at least 30 when this was filmed.
For the film itself, it's really not that different from "8 Mile" - and for the conflict (rap battle) part, there are several groups competing for their time on stage at this Minneapolis club, which apparently only allows a band to play one song at a time. And we've got the same personal conflicts as well - domestic violence at home, and a rocky road with the girlfriend - so forgive me if I feel like I've seen this one before, even if I haven't. The Kid is to Prince as B-Rabbit is to Eminem, that's all.
And there's still a lot I don't understand - why is the rain purple? What does it sound like when doves cry? Why are the animals striking curious poses? And I was THERE in the 80's, man - it's hard enough trying to explain why famous singers chose to dress like revolutionary war soldiers, and the boys wore more make-up than the girls. But that's how we liked it - we wore our sunglasses at night, our girls just wanted to have fun, and we all wanted a new drug.
Points for trying to update the classic Abbott + Costello routine ("What is the password?" "That's right." "The password is "that's right"?" "No, "what" is the password.") but in the end the bit just didn't work.
Also starring Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day.
RATING: 3 out of 10 puffy shirts
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