Light of Day (1987)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Paul Schrader (written by)

Release Date:

6 February 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

"I got a little lost along the way, but I'm just around the corner to the light of day." -Bruce Springsteen

Plot:

The siblings Patty and Joe live in an industrial suburb. While Patty's ambition is their rock band "The Barbusters" only...

Plot Keywords:

Rock Band | Cancer | Rock 'n' Roll | Cleveland Ohio | Working Class

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Michael J. Fox	...	Joe Rasnick
Gena Rowlands	...	Jeanette Rasnick
Joan Jett	...	Patti Rasnick
Michael McKean	...	Bu Montgomery
Thomas G. Waites	...	Smittie
Cherry Jones	...	Cindy Montgomery
Michael Dolan	...	Gene Bodine
Paul J. Harkins	...	Billy Tatton
Billy L. Sullivan	...	Benji Rasnick (as Billy Sullivan)
Jason Miller	...	Benjamin Rasnick
Tom Irwin	...	Rev. Ansley
Jerry Gideon	...	Sean
Cherise Vonae Haugen	...	Crystad
Michael Rooker	...	Oogie
Yvette Heyden	...	Laurie

Also Known As:

Born in the U.S.A. (USA) (original script title)
Just Around the Corner to the Light of Day (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Astrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Berwyn, Illinois, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

This film was actually offered to Bruce Springsteen as a acting project (for what became the Michael J. Fox role) when he was thinking about going into film acting. He ultimately passed on this project (and dismissed the idea of going into films altogether).

Quotes:

Patti Rasnick: [during a fight with her brother Joe] You really oughta start your own band. Call it The Attitudes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Live! (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Elegy (Instrumental)

Slow Down to appreciate the Light of Day

This movie is not a "rock" movie. It is a "people" movie. The performances turned in by the cast were complete, realistic and believable. I say this from the standpoint of someone (a female) who hammered it out in a working rock band for 20 years... The characters had unfortunate crappy jobs, they DID have problems with their parents and each other, as life on the road is HARD. In fact, out of all the "rock-n-roll" movies I have ever seen, this played out to touch home better than anything else. The person who wrote the scathing review ~ I'd bet my Gibson he was never in a bar band, scraping dimes together, stealing food. And I'd bet my SM57 that he never had to play the cheesy Holiday Inn Lounge. Anyone who thinks being in a working band is fun, easy, nothing but a good time, check out Light Of Day. It will open your eyes. The side-plot of an illness that strikes the family is more than touching and also true to life, as I had the same thing happened to me. The dialogue in the movie is so realistic that I can't watch it without cringing. This movie is the real deal, not some drummed up rock-n-roll fantasy compiled for "wanna be's" or wishful thinkers.