Runtime: An overlong 124 minutes
Directed by: Nancy Walker
Starring: The Village People, the person now known as Caitlyn Jenner, Valerie Perrine (RIP)
From: More than one entity that soon went out of business, this movie bombed so hard
RIP Valerie Perrine. I’m sure she’d be honored that I chose THIS instead of Lenny or Slaughterhouse-Five for tribute! After all, she got along w/ director Nancy Walker-yes, the actor-so poorly, the movie’s cinematographer had to direct her scenes. The direction wasn’t bad yet the movie failed so badly and wrecked two entities (EMI Films & Associated Film Distribution), she never directed another film. Perrine passed away at the age of 82 due to Parkinson’s Disease.
As a little kid in the 80’s, I’ll always know her as Eve Tessmacher from the first two Superman movies. For someone who has seen similar movies of the era (Xanadu, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Apple) & guffawed at each one, I was glad to have tracked down a copy of the film in better than potato vision-nevermind how-& give my thoughts on a movie that helped give a certain organization the inspiration to create The Razzies, which is not a positive but that's another topic for another time.
Yes, Can’t Stop the Music is preposterous; a Hispanic dude name Felipe wears a scanty amount of clothing while cosplaying as a Native American out in public, among many weird and sometimes even off-color moments. The film shouldn’t have been two hours long and the attempt to make THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (including the guy dressed like an extra at the Ramrod club in Cruising!) a heterosexual act failed, regardless of this being an origin story, of all things. Then there’s the person known now as Caitlyn Jenner… I know not to use their deadname. The band aren’t great actors, but compared to her—it’s clear why they are best known not as thespians. At least Jenner wore Daisy Duke shorts & a white crop-top for those interested in such things…
No wonder Music has ratings across the spectrum, one of the more polarizing motion pictures on Letterboxd. Your opinion of disco music is a factor, and to address the elephant in the room, your sexual orientation is a factor. I’m a heterosexual man; those of a different persuasion will naturally feel different. I can admit that the film is subversive, featuring numerous characters that were obviously queer or queer-coded. There’s also a progressive (for the time) line concerning acceptance of those that are “different.”
Wisecracks concerning their acting aside, I’ll echo the thoughts of a few & note that the movie was less interesting and undoubtedly dull as dishwater when The Village People weren’t on screen. Yes, there are legit funny moments to go along w/ the unintentional ones; however, I’ll always gravitate towards such wackiness as the split screen and other period visual effects used during the singing of YMCA, or the big song-and-dance number devoted to… MILKSHAKES.
Can’t Stop the Music has its lulls yet there are more than a few campy moments. While Steve Guttenberg & his charisma in the leading role was the acting highlight, Perrine was charming herself as a recently-retired model who doesn’t engage in romance w/ Guttenberg but instead Jenner—in hindsight, not a surprise their romantic chemistry wasn’t great…
As strange as the movie is, it served as a nice time capsule of an infamous (yet fun, IMO) musical genre, New York City, and several other ideas. Even if it’s far in the future, I’ll view something serious featuring Ms. Perrine.
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