Micitype Pretty Good

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Tim Kidner 'The Rose' is two hours of enjoyable entertainment. Described as a 'Joplin-like' drama, I initially wanted a Janis Joplin biopic. Too young to be a record buyer - or listener even, when Joplin was scorching the music scene with her incredible vocals that notion was intriguing and I wasn't going to the cinema when this film came out.Watching it late on TCM, the clichés and standard script clanked wearily and I was expecting a long haul. Seasoned and well respected Brit actor Alan Bates seemed an odd choice as the music manager and promoter and I initially thought that he had undersold himself. Luckily, his fairly subtle performance does not try and steal anything away from the raucous and bubbly Bette Midler, who was Oscar nominated for her efforts. That she performed the vocals, too, (the soundtrack seems to be available on CD, as well) is even more impressive - I was sure of - and looking at the end credits - to find out which singing sensation had performed the actual vocals.Harry Dean Stanton, always good value seemed to have a very small part, which was disappointing, whilst the two young men in Rose's chaotic life, Fredric Forrest and David Keith (the latter who I have recognised in other films) again do a credible job.The planes, limos and stadiums full of adoring fans are annoyingly predictable, but I guess you cannot get away from those. I have to add that the sound quality was very good on the music performance side (also Oscar nominated) and it's very tempting to crank up the volume when Bette belts those numbers out.There are some other good scenes; the one in the drag queen bar especially endearing and thankfully, hissy-fits and melodramatic outbursts kept just to the right side of OK.So, if you like your 'tough-at-the-top', pretty gritty fame flick and you enjoyed the music scene from the early '70s and especially if you are a Bette Middler fan, then The Rose has a lot going for it. The baggage full of clichés become a reluctantly necessary attachment - get over those and you might well enjoy it, as I ended up doing.

sr-shah While watching this film about an excessive and compulsive rock star, I had to wonder if Bette Midler had ever been drunk in her life, or even gotten laid, much less experimented with drugs. It seemed she had no personal experience to draw from to create the mannerisms and expressions required of her character. Has she ever even seen a rock concert? It was all melodrama barely fit for a TV series. She certainly gave it the old college try. Her effort, at least, can't faulted while she's in front of the camera, but it seemed to me that there was an appalling lack of research done for her role and even less for the other minor characters. I just found the whole thing painful and tedious and most of all, way too long. I couldn't wait for it to be over. I am totally blown away that she was nominated for an Academy award and that there are so many gushing reviews. I didn't think it was possible to have such a completely opposite reaction to a film, but that is the beauty of individuality, I suppose. Perhaps the attraction is just seeing Midler so out of character, but to me it is totally unconvincing and no other aspect of the film steps in to fill that void. If I never have to sit through this again, it'll be too soon.

Lechuguilla As a pumped-up, neurotic 1960s rock star named Rose, Bette Midler energizes this film with a soulful, emotional performance deserving of Oscar recognition. Midler animates the character so well that, paradoxically, she rather overwhelms the film's plot about a famous singer who nonetheless is insecure and fragile.I would estimate that roughly a quarter of the film's runtime consists of Midler on-stage singing and performing in front of an audience of hundreds, and in one case thousands, of extras as part of a real-life concert. The technical logistics of putting together such a believable event is quite impressive, with multiple cameras, special effects, complex lighting, and in only one camera take.The non-concert plot has Rose in various states of emotional highs and lows, mostly lows, as she laughs and cries, whines and moans, and argues and fights with those around her. This is a lady who is controlled by emotion, not reason or logic. She laughs one minute, cries the next, then laughs, then cries some more.As such, the plot trends emotionally repetitive, though we as viewers sense that all this enormous gushing of raw feeling can't continue indefinitely. And thus with great effect, the film has a dramatic ending, one that combines character resolution with stunning visuals, followed by end credits set against the musical backdrop of Amanda McBroom's moving, hymn-like title song, "The Rose".By far the best element of the film is Midler's electrifying performance. Yet, the concert footage and film editing are also impressive. The weak link is a plot that, though acceptable, seems anemic in comparison to Midler and the stunning visuals.Inspired by the unnerving musical career of Janis Joplin, "The Rose" presents viewers with an emotionally moving story, character driven, that is set within an overall film production that is technically both competent and credible.

sddavis63 Bette Midler offers a performance that is both powerful (for the actress) and troubling (for the character.) She plays Mary Rose Foster, a girl who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Florida, but by 1969 (when the movie is set) ended up as a mega-rock star known simply as "The Rose." Unfortunately, in the midst of all her success her life falls apart. She ends up (by the time the movie begins) as a lonely alcoholic close to burnout, but with a manager (Alan Bates) who won't let her have time to recuperate, and instead just keeps pushing her on and on to the next show. Rose just wants to play one last concert - in her hometown to show the locals what a star she's become and then (as she says repeatedly) she wants to take a year off (and from the looks of her she could use it.) Midler made this movie. It was her first starring role, and it was a challenging one, but she pulled it off perfectly. I'm not a huge fan of her style of singing, but the behind the scenes look at life on the road was interesting enough, at least for a while. Admittedly, the story became a bit monotonous after a while and there were extended scenes that really didn't seem necessary to the development of the story, but director Mark Rydell does manage to pull the viewer into Rose's life, and make her a sympathetic character. The movie also featured a decent performance from Frederic Forrest as Rose's love interest Huston Dyer, who started as her chauffeur and ended up as her lover, but eventually had to get away from her and the life she was leading, although I found the romance a bit too contrived to be believable.I thought this was a good movie, memorable mostly for Midler and the music. Even with the weaknesses that are clearly present, I'm still going to 8/10 for this.