steven@ism70.UUCP (06/23/84)
#N:ism70:13100024:000:2770 ism70!steven Jun 20 13:34:00 1984 Abridged review from Lotusland >From Daily Variety, June 20, 1984. NOTE: I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THIS FILM, BUT FOR THOSE WHO DO, DAILY VARIETY IS USUALLY DEAD ON ABOUT COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS AND ENTERTAINMENT VALUE IN ITS REVIEWS. AS A RECENT WAG IN DAILY VARIETY PUT IT, "WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT A COMPANY WHO MADE 41% OF ITS GROSS REVENUE LAST YEAR BY BEING GEORGE LUCAS'S DISTRIBUTOR?" RHINESTONE Starring Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone. Also starring Richard Farnsworth, Ron Liebman and Tim Thomerson. Directed by Bob Clark. Written by Phil Alden Robinson and Sylvester Stallone. Screen Story by Robinson, based on the song "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Larry Weiss. Produced by Marvin Smith and Howard Worth. Photographed by Timothy Galfas. Production Designed by Robert Boyle. Edited by Stan Cole and John Wheeler. Music by Dolly Parton. Musical Adaptations by Mike Post. >From Twentieth Century Fox. 111 minutes. (1984) Effortlessly living up to its title, _R_h_i_n_e_s_t_o_n_e is as artificial and synthetic a concoction that has ever made its way to the screen. Fortunately, everyone involved seems to have known this, which takes a lot of the edge off the silliness, and there may be sufficient general curiosity in seeing the overdeveloped but mismatched pair of Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton square off to put this over commercially. Doubts linger, however, since pic is pitched in such a way that may not satisfy the hefty core followings for either star. It remains to be seen whether or not Stallone's action fans will turn out to watch him do something he can't (sing). Parton partisans could be put off by the constant ribbing the country-western scenes inspire. Film is a genuine oddball. Stallone's character, that of a Gotham cabbie whom singer Parton bets she can turn into a convincing country crooner in two week's time, is like no one ever encountered on earth before. When Stallone first opens his mouth, sound coming out is so godawful that director Bob "Porky's" Clark offers up a montage of farm animals running and squawking in panic, a device probably not seen onscreen since the Ma and Pa Kettle series. On the other hand, since neither Stallone nor Parton stray at all from past personae, the major shows are actually put on by their costume designers, since the two leads seem to change their clothes every three minutes. Script is chock full of weird lines, some laugh-provoking, but many more which are crude repartee and poor insults. Pic, which could have easily been cut by 10-15 minutes features more than enough music, although Parton's contributions are, as always, a pleasure. The product tie-in department put in too much overtime where the Busch brewery was concerned.