☆ ☆ ☆
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982) – L. Adler
The milieu alone (punk
rock shows) makes this film worth a look, despite the lack of consistency in
the characterisations and the grafted-on ending. Diane Lane is a rebellious
teen who forms a band (The Stains) with her sister Marin Kanter and cousin
Laura Dern and joins a cross-country tour in support of an aging metal band and
younger British punk rockers (which include ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul
Cook and Clash bassist Paul Simonon) fronted by Ray Winstone. All of the known actors are impossibly young
here. With her bold style (skunk hair)
and attitude, Lane inspires an army of young female followers who elevate the
band to headliners, much to the chagrin of Winstone (who is also her romantic
interest). Somehow though the tour
manager convinces the Stains to completely monetise their brand by selling cheaply
made merchandise – this seems to betray the Lane character’s initial drive for
fan solidarity and identification. To make things worse, there’s an MTV styled
coda that shows The Stains in the future as successful pop-rockers with
mainstream looks. Apparently, Lou Adler
(Saturday Night Live) added this after poor audience feedback, leading writer
Nancy Dowd (Slapshot) to disavow the film.
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