Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

Director:

Martin Davidson

Writers:

Martin Davidson (screenplay) &
Arlene Davidson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Music

Tagline:

Rebel. Rocker. Lover. Idol. Vanished.

Plot:

Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin) is a reporter who's interviewing the surviving members of a band who's music is being revived...

Plot Keywords:

Tape Recording | Faked Death | Reporter | New Jersey | Bridge

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Frank Ridgeway
Michael Paré	...	Eddie Wilson
Joe Pantoliano	...	Doc Robbins
Matthew Laurance	...	Sal Amato
Helen Schneider	...	Joann Carlino
David Wilson	...	Kenny Hopkins
Michael 'Tunes' Antunes	...	Wendell Newton
Ellen Barkin	...	Maggie Foley
Kenny Vance	...	Lew Elson
John Stockwell	...	Keith Livingston
Joe Cates	...	Lois
Barry Sand	...	Barry Siegel
Vebe Borge	...	Gerry Rivers
Howard Johnson	...	Wendell's Replacement
Joey Balin	...	Eddie's Replacement

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Norway:12 | USA:PG (certificate #26935) | UK:PG | Iceland:16 | Sweden:7 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:PG | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atco, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Aurora

Trivia:

The band actually playing the music is John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, and the actor playing Wendell, the Cruisers' sax player, is the real-life sax player for them.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the movie we see Frank in his car driving to the high school where he teaches, listening to one of the old Cruisers songs being played on New York City radio station WNEW-FM. Later, when he's reunited with Doc, he says he's teaching in Vineland (NJ). With the range of FM radio limited by "line of sight" (and not bouncing like AM signals do), there is no way he could listen to WNEW-FM that far down in south Jersey.

Quotes:

Eddie Wilson: I want something great. I want something that's never been done before!
Sal Amato: Why? We ain't great. We're just some guys from Jersey.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Velvet Goldmine (1998)

Soundtrack:

Season in Hell (Fire Suite)

Wasted Potential

It's a shame that such an intriguing idea for a film was squandered like this. The direction and acting is weak, but what truly destroys the film is the music; the Cruisers' early music is annoying AOR-type filler posing as 1950's bubblegum, and the "Season in Hell" music, which should be strange and hypnotic, is just dull. We're also robbed of the fun of seeing songs created through rehearsals; it's pretty clear the director has never been to a band rehearsal, as the songs sound as polished and final the first time they play them as in the final recordings.

I'd love to see this movie remade by some competent people. In the right hands, it could be the best rock-and-roll movie ever.

One last aside: everyone mentions Eddie's resemblance to Jim Morrison, which is clearly there, but it seems obvious that the Season in Hell stuff is also based on Brian Wilson's difficulties which the never-released Beach Boys' "Smile" album. Eddie is even named "Wilson".