Prey for Rock and Roll (2003)
Don't pray for this movie. it's
not worth it. There is nothing here except wonderful
performances, especially by lead Gina Gershon. But
she and the rest of the cast are stuck in a female
empowerment "Lifetime Original Movie" wannabee (that
seems to have been co-produced by VH-1) that is ham-
handed, unrealistic and, worse yet, man hating. Why
a man, Alex Steyermark, ever agreed to direct it is
beyond me.
This film LOATHES men. It despises
them. All men are murderers, child molesters, rapists,
alcoholics and drug addicts. The only man in the entire
film who is even considered worthy is a man who KILLED
a child rapist. That's the level of crap were expected
to swallow with this film.
Since all the women here hate men,
accept for one who is herself a spoiled brat and a
drug addict (Boy - does she learn a lesson!), are
lesbians. Lori Petty and Shelly Cole are a creepy
couple who have as much chemistry as a flavorless
Lifesaver (they're like sugar and water). And Gershon
doesn't love anyone but herself. This, of course,
doesn't keep her from bumping uglies with a hot black
chick. But this couple too have no spark. They have
a supposedly steamy sex scene that is about as hot
as Haagen Das straight out of the freezer.
The script here is a mess. Here
is the scriptwriters' (Cheri Lovedog and Robin Whitehouse's)
idea of exposition. Early in the film, they wants
to set-up their characters so this exchange occurs:
Gershon: (To Petty and Cole) Hello
lesbian lovers.
Petty: (Back to her) Hello girl
who can't make up her mind.
Is that the stupidest thing you've
ever heard or what?
Gershon plays Jackie, a woman about
to hit 40 who is tiring of the dead-end street that
being in a garage band seems to be. Still, she wonders
if she could have a "normal" life and begins to accept
that it would be better to be bitter and old and ROCK
OUT than to just be bitter and old. Her band, and
I can't even remember if they have a name, is made
up of lovers Petty and Cole as well as a bassist played
by Drea de Matteo, the aforementioned cock-sniffing
coke-sniffer who learns a lesson. The band are about
to perhaps sign with a small label and Gershon constantly
fights to keep herself and the band together.
Meanwhile, Cole's older brother,
Animal, returns from a ten year stint in prison and
de Matteo's user boyfriend gets creepier and creepier.
The biggest problem with this film
is that it is supposed to be a celebration of garage
band, girl power ethos and yet it has almost no music
in it. Oh sure, there are four or five musical numbers
(and a couple are almost good) played by Gershon and
her band but inbetween are long and laborious interludes
of plot, exposition and dialogue that yammer on and
on and do not even have background music. Wouldn't
a rock Goddess like the one Gershon plays here have
a tape playing no matter where she was? They don't
even play music in the background in the scene where
she is at work at a tattoo shop! Give me a fucking
break. Every tattoo shop I've ever been in has music
blaring. Director Steyermark apparently would know
how to score a scene if his career depended on it.
(And, sadly, it does).
In this film, all women are victims.
This film isn't about the empowerment of women using
rock and roll. On the contrary, this film says all
women are victims. These are just victims with guitar,
bass and drums. The highlight of the film is a angry
and vile anti-rape song called "Every Six Minutes"
that Gershon sings so passionately, we simply cannot
accept her rage. This is, of course, after one of
the most vile rape scenes and one of the most vile
retribution scenes ever committed to film.
They say there are no good roles
for older women and "Prey for Rock and Roll" is living
proof that there are no good writers of roles for
women over 40. In a role tailor-made for her, Gershon
fails miserably. Of course, she isn't given a script
or a film in which she truly could succeed. There
are moments when we like her here and feel sympathy
for her confusion over ageing but when she kisses
the child-molester killer at the end of the film,
we feel like she has truly sold out. (The film implies
that she NEEDS a man).
Dude, I'm gay and this film made
me hate my penis. I have never mistreated a woman
sexually and this film made me feel like a creep.
Straight guys beware: Chick turn 40 and then they
hate you!
Note:
Gershon has a band in reality. She
performs all of her vocals live here.
At one time the film was known as
"My Favorite Sin." I'm not sure why. The new title
doesn't really make much sense either. I thought it
was going to be about Rock and Roll vampires.
This film has a distributor. It
debuted at Sundance in January, 2003.
Viewed
at AFF 2003 at the Paramount Theater with Steyermark
and Cole in attendance. Gershon had a gig at Antone's
that night and was at soundcheck and could not attend.
I did not stay for the Q&A where she may have showed
up.
