Rhinestone (1984)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Masterful Movie

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Rhinestone is a comedy that stars Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton.The story is about Jake Farris,a big time country singer that tells his manager that she can turn any normal person into a country singer superstar in a matter of two weeks.In her effort to prove herself,she recruits a cab driver Nick Martinelli.She is scheduled to perform at a big New York City country night club and trains Nick to become a great singer as she awaits the event.Along their training sessions,Jake and Nick fall in love in the process.The screenplay was written by Phil Alden Robinson and Sylvester Stallone while Bob Clark directed the film.The movie could have been great.Too bad that it was clichéd and predictable through out.When Jake bragged that she can train Nick to become a great country singer,viewers knew that she will definitely be able to do it.Also,the characterizations lacked depth and the love story was also expected.It could have been really a poor movie but I did not give it the lowest rating as it was a joy to see and hear Stallone sing despite the fact that he is definitely not up to the standards of that of a good performer.

This was on TV the other day. I always love a Pygmalion plot, but getting from here to there was kind of painful. I love Dolly Parton's voice, her appearance and whom she is as a person: SO pretty, so sweet and kind! I could listen to her sing forever! But an actress, she's not! Stallone seemed to be trying to be clever and funny, but he was just so goofy that I found him annoying. Maybe the problem was in the way the character was written? – but no – his facial expressions, his voice, his manner – they were all phony – and when he first showed Dolly how he "sings," it was so loud, unrealistic and silly, I felt embarrassed for him. The plot is contrived, and I kept saying to myself, "Well, they had to do THIS with the plot so THAT funny thing could happen." And Dolly's character, well, she's just Dolly playing a character in a movie. Again, the contrived plot makes her character do unnatural and inconsistent things. I was saying to myself, "Oh no, why are you doing THAT?!" all the time! Well, it IS a "feel good" movie, but in order to "feel good," you must be able to ignore the badly managed plot, poorly depicted characters and silly "acting."

I will start off with the good things. Rhinestone is for me not Stallone's worst film, that dishonour goes to Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, and it is not Bob Clark's worst either, look at the Baby Geniuses movies, both of those make Rhinestone look like Citizen Kane. And I personally liked the music and the scene in the funeral home is hilarious. However, Sly and Dolly Parton have little or no chemistry here, and while Parton brings some vigour Stallone is only so-so. As for his singing, while nothing extraordinary it was actually passable. What I did not like about Rhinestone though was its poor direction, slack pacing, predictable story and awful script, while the cinematography and such are nothing to rave about either. Overall, it isn't the worst film of all time or anything but it should have been much better than it was. 4/10 Bethany Cox

This film is definitely a goof ball but that is what it set out to be. It's totally farcical & wonderful. Favourite scenes include Steven Apostle Peck who plays Sly's dad. The first is when we meet Peck's character in the organ room & the second is the hilarious scene around the dinner table. I bust a gut watching that scene. So funny. One important thing I've learned in studying film is that there is a difference between a film you love & a great film. They can be one in the same, as is the case with a film such as The Godfather Part II. This is an masterfully made film that I enjoyed. Or they can be separate. For instance, I recognize that Slumdog Millionaire is a well made film, I just didn't like it. I didn't connect with it. I didn't care what happened. And on the converse, I recognize that Rhinestone isn't really that great a film but I really enjoyed it. I connected with the characters, it made me laugh & I generally found pleasure in it. So I rate it 10/10 for enjoyment.Love to Steven Peck