Rhinestone (1984) (Movie Review)
Director: Bob Clark
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton
PG-13
On DVD from Anchor Bay (Out of Print)
Jake (Dolly Parton) is a down-home Country singer with enormous talents. Nick Martinelli (Sylvester Stallone) is a New York City cabbie with an even bigger attitude. But when Jake bets her sleazy manager everything – and she means everything – that she can turn anybody into an overnight sensation, that somebody turns out to be Nick. Now Jake must haul Nick back to the hills of Tennessee for a two-week crash course in how to walk, talk and sing like a genuine Country star. Can a tough talkin’ hillbilly gal with everything to lose and a slick city guy who hits all the wrong notes finally find a way to make beautiful music together? Ron Leibman (NORMA RAE) and Richard Farnsworth (THE STRAIGHT STORY) co-star in this wild comedy from the director of PORKY’S and A CHRISTMAS STORY, co-written by Sylvester Stallone and featuring a hot soundtrack of songs written and performed by Dolly Parton.
Bob Clark gives us the classic fish out of water storyline with Rambo himself Sylvester Stallone playing the city-slicker Itiallian that Dolly Parton must turn into a county singer. And, while this movie is pretty infamous for being rather awful, I actually must admit that I found it funny none the less. Blame the fact I’m from Tennessee if you want, but hearing a man sing a very funny sad song about his baby being chewed up by a tractor and hearing an out of key and awkward Stallone sing a song called Drinkinstein is just a fun time at the movies for me. It isn’t like we have bad actors here. It does at times seem awkward, but that is the charm really.
I think Dolly Parton does indeed deserve praise for her part in this movie. She is pretty much playing herself in some ways. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do a bad job in a movie and that is still the case here. So why is it this movie is given such a bad rep? Well, I’m not sure. Maybe the flashy cowboy style and the weird singing by Stallone caused it. I think that just made the film all the more funny. It isn’t going to make any best-of lists for the 80s or even now, but it isn’t by any means an awful film. As a matter of fact I find it easy to enjoy and I believe many people seeing it for the first time will see it that way as well.
