Pros
1. Songwriter made history by joining "Purple Rain" and "Muppets Take Manhattan" as the last 3 films to be nominated for the Song Score Oscar. While I agree with the Academy that "Purple Rain" had the best Song Score, I nevertheless consider Songwriter's Song Score to be phenomenal. This is about a half an hour of wall to wall music and none of it is a dud. I'm a guy who usually doesn't even listen to country music and I loved it all. It's just a shame some songs in an early montage are just snippets, I'd love to hear them in their full version.
2. I'm really glad Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson were able to do this movie together. They have great chemistry and they're able to make their characters just ooze with charm. I especially like the scene where Nelson and Kristofferson take turns making statements so complex they can't properly say them again. Between this and Flashpoint, 1984 was a very good year for Kristofferson.
3. The main women in this film are so lovely and likable. Melinda Dillon is so charming she really lights up every scene she's in (it helps that she doesn't have to wash anybody's mouth with soap). I foremost associate Lesley Ann Warren with playing Katie Holmes' mother in "Teaching Miss Tingle" so it's a nice change of pace to see her in a good movie and she does a great cover of "Great Balls Of Fire". Doc's assistant, Corky is a real trooper: doing what needs to be done without a fuss. Even Doc's 2nd ex-wife isn't as annoying as I might have feared.
4. Beyond the music and the anti-corporate hi-jinks, the movie has a nice message about Doc needing to get beyond his years of partying and be a responsible intelligent adult.
5. This movie certainly has the right villain. It is such a joy when she gets the shaft at the end.
6. Kentucky-Fried German Food? Well it beats eating at Arby's.
7. Best Line
Honey: (Doc is posing as a vacuum cleaner salesman) Long time ago a vacuum cleaner salesman just like you came into my house and knocked me up!
Doc: Probably somebody from our service department.
Cons
1. In the beginning, Kris Kristofferson's character narrates the breakup of Doc and Honey. I wish they could have could have done it more visually instead of a character explaining it. Films should be about showing, not telling. After the beginning, Kris Kristofferson's character never narrates again. I wish movies would consistently narrate or don't do it at all.
2. Doc burns down a music studio he owns as part of a plan to get out of his contract with Rocky. He's lucky nobody got hurt. Why would he risk something that could cause him a lot of jail time and further separate him from his family?
3. I'm conflicted about Kris Kristofferson's character ending with Doc's assistant, Corky. It's certainly sweet but it comes at the end and kind of out of nowhere. I wish there had been more of a build-up so it doesn't seem to come out of nowhere
1. Songwriter made history by joining "Purple Rain" and "Muppets Take Manhattan" as the last 3 films to be nominated for the Song Score Oscar. While I agree with the Academy that "Purple Rain" had the best Song Score, I nevertheless consider Songwriter's Song Score to be phenomenal. This is about a half an hour of wall to wall music and none of it is a dud. I'm a guy who usually doesn't even listen to country music and I loved it all. It's just a shame some songs in an early montage are just snippets, I'd love to hear them in their full version.
2. I'm really glad Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson were able to do this movie together. They have great chemistry and they're able to make their characters just ooze with charm. I especially like the scene where Nelson and Kristofferson take turns making statements so complex they can't properly say them again. Between this and Flashpoint, 1984 was a very good year for Kristofferson.
3. The main women in this film are so lovely and likable. Melinda Dillon is so charming she really lights up every scene she's in (it helps that she doesn't have to wash anybody's mouth with soap). I foremost associate Lesley Ann Warren with playing Katie Holmes' mother in "Teaching Miss Tingle" so it's a nice change of pace to see her in a good movie and she does a great cover of "Great Balls Of Fire". Doc's assistant, Corky is a real trooper: doing what needs to be done without a fuss. Even Doc's 2nd ex-wife isn't as annoying as I might have feared.
4. Beyond the music and the anti-corporate hi-jinks, the movie has a nice message about Doc needing to get beyond his years of partying and be a responsible intelligent adult.
5. This movie certainly has the right villain. It is such a joy when she gets the shaft at the end.
6. Kentucky-Fried German Food? Well it beats eating at Arby's.
7. Best Line
Honey: (Doc is posing as a vacuum cleaner salesman) Long time ago a vacuum cleaner salesman just like you came into my house and knocked me up!
Doc: Probably somebody from our service department.
Cons
1. In the beginning, Kris Kristofferson's character narrates the breakup of Doc and Honey. I wish they could have could have done it more visually instead of a character explaining it. Films should be about showing, not telling. After the beginning, Kris Kristofferson's character never narrates again. I wish movies would consistently narrate or don't do it at all.
2. Doc burns down a music studio he owns as part of a plan to get out of his contract with Rocky. He's lucky nobody got hurt. Why would he risk something that could cause him a lot of jail time and further separate him from his family?
3. I'm conflicted about Kris Kristofferson's character ending with Doc's assistant, Corky. It's certainly sweet but it comes at the end and kind of out of nowhere. I wish there had been more of a build-up so it doesn't seem to come out of nowhere