Rock music had most of its appeal for 20th Century youth based on the ideas of freedom and rejecting authority embodied in school or family. To actually base life around this principles is, however, much more difficult, as depicted in Light of Day, 1987 drama written and directed by Paul Schrader.
Patti Rasnick (played by Joan Jett) is talented rock musician who lives in Cleveland, Ohio and plays in local band Barbusters together with his brother Joe (played by Michael J. Fox). While both siblings love their music, bars and similar venues where they play don’t provide much of the money. Joe is forced to support himself with a daytime job in factory, while Patti tends to supplement income with petty and sometimes not so petty thefts, getting herself and Joe in trouble. Patti’s life choices have wrecked relationship with her devout Christian mother Jeanette (played by Gena Rowlands) who admonishes Patti for having four-year old son Benji (played by Billy L. Sullivan) out of wedlock and refusing to name the father. Patti believes that she will eventually become proper star and decides to go on a tour, but Joe fears that spending time in cheap motel rooms would be bad for Benji. The band falls apart, Joe returns home to his parents with Benji, while Patti tries to continue career in a heavy metal band. It would take a tragedy for siblings to reunite, both as members of family and band mates.
Paul Schrader became one of the icons of New Hollywood due to his scripts in which he presented himself as keen observer of various cultural and economic trends in increasingly dysfunctional American society. Light of Day represented an interesting attempt to explain rock music phenomenon from the blue collar perspective and show how dreams of stardom clash with reality of every day life. In doing so, Schrader gathered some interesting talents that gave the film a lot of authenticity. Bruce Springsteen, rock musician made famous for celebrating American working class, was offered the role of Joe, but he wisely refused and instead opted to write title song, which ultimately became something of a hit. Role of Patti was given to Joan Jett, one of the rare female rock stars of the time. Jett, known for her rebellious persona and image, plays the character very well, probably because she doesn’t have to act much. She is the best and the most authentic element of the film, although her character’s irresponsible ways and inimical stance towards mother might make Patti unlikable to many potential viewers.
Casting was less fortunate in case of Joe. Michael J. Fox, at the time known almost exclusively for film and television comedies, enthusiastically accepted that role in order to prove himself as serious dramatic actor. He tries very hard, but ends up being bland, which is mostly due to script that portrays him as “normal” and responsible character who always tries to do the right thing, even in usually futile attempts to rebuild bridges between Patti and her mother. Appearance of Michael McKean, who plays Joe’s co-worker and band mate, also hurts the film, mostly by reminding audience of McKean’s previous film This Is Spinal Tap, which dealt with rock music much more successfully. Gena Rowlands is much more effective as Patti’s authoritarian and manipulative mother, but her role is very much wasted because Schrader’s script loses a lot of focus in the second part. What began as story about rock musicians turns into generic family melodrama with rather predictable “soapy” ending. Impression is even worse because of Thomas Newman’s equally generic synthesiser score, which is quite at odds with energetic rock songs that form the rest of the soundtrack. Despite modest box office success, Light of Day quickly sank into obscurity. Today, the audience most likely to appreciate it are fans of Joan Jett and those willing to enjoy good old rock’n’roll even packaged into flawed feature film.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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