It's 1969. Mary Rose Foster (Bette Midler) is a tired superstar. She is lonely, drunk, a recovering drug addict, and desperate to get off the stage. His greedy manager Rudge Campbell talks her out of it. She gets dismissed by country legend Billy Ray (Harry Dean Stanton) and she runs off with limo driver Huston Dyer (Frederic Forrest). He's AWOL from the Army.
This is a tour de force performance from Bette Midler. She uses all of her singing and stage presence to be a rock star on film. It helps that she does really perform on stage. There are some solid hits. It's her film acting debut and she shines. It's a great launching pad for her. The plot does ramble on and on. It would help to place a destination or a ticking clock on the story. I never really love Dyer although I thought they were building good chemistry until that incident. I assumed that relationship would be central all the way to the end. The flow is a little ragged. The overriding takeaway is Bette Midler's terrific performance.
This is a tour de force performance from Bette Midler. She uses all of her singing and stage presence to be a rock star on film. It helps that she does really perform on stage. There are some solid hits. It's her film acting debut and she shines. It's a great launching pad for her. The plot does ramble on and on. It would help to place a destination or a ticking clock on the story. I never really love Dyer although I thought they were building good chemistry until that incident. I assumed that relationship would be central all the way to the end. The flow is a little ragged. The overriding takeaway is Bette Midler's terrific performance.