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==Plot==
==Plot==
Jake Farris, a down home [[country singer]] stuck in a long-term contract performing at "The Rhinestone", a sleazy [[urban cowboy]] nightclub in New York City, boasts to the club's manager, Freddie, that she can make anybody into a country sensation, insisting that she can turn any normal guy into a country singer in just two weeks. Freddie accepts Jake's bet, putting up the remainder of Jake's contract (if she wins the bet, the contract becomes void; if she loses, another five years will be added). He then ups the ante: if Jake loses, she must also sleep with him.
Jake Farris, a very AWSOME SINGER [[country singer]] stuck in a long-term contract performing at "The Rhinestone", a sleazy [[urban cowboy]] nightclub in New York City, boasts to the club's manager, Freddie, that she can make anybody into a country sensation, insisting that she can turn any normal guy into a country singer in just two weeks. Freddie accepts Jake's bet, putting up the remainder of Jake's contract (if she wins the bet, the contract becomes void; if she loses, another five years will be added). He then ups the ante: if Jake loses, she must also sleep with him.


The problem is that Freddie can select the man, and he selects an obnoxious New York City cabbie named Nick Martinelli. Nick not only has no musical talent whatsoever, he claims to hate country music "worse than [[Liver (food)|liver]]". Realizing she is stuck with Nick, she takes him back to her home in Tennessee to teach him how to walk, talk and behave like a real country star. While there, he has to put up with Jake's constant nagging and berating him about his behavior, the culture-shock of not knowing anything about the South, and Jake's ex-fiancée Barnett Kale who befriends Nick, then turns on him when he realizes that he and Jake have developed feelings for one another.
The problem is that Freddie can select the man, and he selects an obnoxious New York City cabbie named Nick Martinelli. Nick not only has no musical talent whatsoever, he claims to hate country music "worse than [[Liver (food)|liver]]". Realizing she is stuck with Nick, she takes him back to her home in Tennessee to teach him how to walk, talk and behave like a real country star. While there, he has to put up with Jake's constant nagging and berating him about his behavior, the culture-shock of not knowing anything about the South, and Jake's ex-fiancée Barnett Kale who befriends Nick, then turns on him when he realizes that he and Jake have developed feelings for one another.

Revision as of 23:55, 2 January 2023

Rhinestone
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBob Clark
Screenplay by
Story byPhil Alden Robinson
Based on"Rhinestone Cowboy"
by Larry Weiss
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTimothy Galfas
Edited by
  • Stan Cole
  • John W. Wheeler
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • June 21, 1984 (1984-06-21)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[1][2]
Box office$21 million[3]

Rhinestone is a 1984 American musical comedy film directed by Bob Clark from a screenplay by Sylvester Stallone and Phil Alden Robinson and starring Stallone, Dolly Parton, Richard Farnsworth and Ron Leibman. It is based on the 1975 hit song "Rhinestone Cowboy" written by Larry Weiss. Although a critical and financial failure, the film spawned two top 10 country hits for Parton.

Plot

Jake Farris, a very AWSOME SINGER country singer stuck in a long-term contract performing at "The Rhinestone", a sleazy urban cowboy nightclub in New York City, boasts to the club's manager, Freddie, that she can make anybody into a country sensation, insisting that she can turn any normal guy into a country singer in just two weeks. Freddie accepts Jake's bet, putting up the remainder of Jake's contract (if she wins the bet, the contract becomes void; if she loses, another five years will be added). He then ups the ante: if Jake loses, she must also sleep with him.

The problem is that Freddie can select the man, and he selects an obnoxious New York City cabbie named Nick Martinelli. Nick not only has no musical talent whatsoever, he claims to hate country music "worse than liver". Realizing she is stuck with Nick, she takes him back to her home in Tennessee to teach him how to walk, talk and behave like a real country star. While there, he has to put up with Jake's constant nagging and berating him about his behavior, the culture-shock of not knowing anything about the South, and Jake's ex-fiancée Barnett Kale who befriends Nick, then turns on him when he realizes that he and Jake have developed feelings for one another.

It all leads to Nick performing a song at The Rhinestone where the crowd is a crazed group of hecklers and are "out for blood." After Nick's first attempt to sing bombs, he turns to the band and says, "Okay guys, let's pick up the beat" and the band begins playing the song in a more Rock n' Roll version and he wins the crowd over. In the end, Jake gets her contract back and she and Nick begin to sing another song with the implication that they will continue their budding relationship together.

Cast

Production

Development and writing

Stallone reportedly turned down Romancing the Stone and Beverly Hills Cop (1984) to make Rhinestone. He was paid $5 million and a percentage of the gross.[2]

Original screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson was so offended by Stallone's reworking of his original screenplay that he briefly considered having his name removed from the film's credits. He was later convinced that having his name on a film of this "caliber" would look good on his resume.

In 2006 Stallone said:

The most fun I ever had on a movie was with Dolly Parton on RHINESTONE. I must tell everyone right now that originally the director was supposed to be Mike Nichols, that was the intention and it was supposed to be shot in New York, down and dirty with Dolly and I with gutsy mannerisms performed like two antagonists brought together by fate. I wanted the music at that time to be written by people who would give it sort of a bizarre edge. Believe it or not, I contacted Whitesnake's management and they were ready to write some very interesting songs alongside Dolly's. But, I was asked to come down to Fox and out steps the director, Bob Clark. Bob is a nice guy, but the film went in a direction that literally shattered my internal corn meter into smithereens. I would have done many things differently. I certainly would've steered clear of comedy unless it was dark, Belgian chocolate dark. Silly comedy didn't work for me. I mean, would anybody pay to see John Wayne in a whimsical farce? Not likely. I would stay more true to who I am and what the audience would prefer rather than trying to stretch out and waste a lot of time and people's patience.[4]

Stallone said he regrets making the film.[5]

Music

Main article: Rhinestone (film soundtrack)

Reception

Critical response

The film was panned upon its release, and is generally regarded as a commercial and critical flop. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 14% based on reviews from 14 critics.[6] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[7] Nonetheless, the soundtrack album gave Dolly Parton two top ten country singles: "Tennessee Homesick Blues" and "God Won't Get You".

Variety magazine wrote: "Effortlessly living up to its title, Rhinestone is as artificial and synthetic a concoction as has ever made its way to the screen."[8]

Phil Alden Robinson publicly distanced himself from the film during its release, writing to critics for the purpose of complaining about changes made to his script.[2]

Accolades

Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy of Country Music Awards[9] Tex Ritter Award Rhinestone Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards (1984)[10] Worst Picture Howard Smith and Marvin Worth Nominated
Worst Director Bob Clark Nominated
Worst Actor Sylvester Stallone Won
Worst Supporting Actor Ron Leibman Nominated
Worst Screenplay Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson and Sylvester Stallone;
Story by Phil Alden Robinson 		Nominated
Worst Musical Score Original Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton;
Music Adapted and Conducted by Mike Post 		Nominated
Worst Original Song "Drinkenstein"
Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton 		Won
"Sweet Lovin' Friends"
Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton 		Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards (2004) Worst "Musical" of Our First 25 Years Rhinestone Nominated
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards[11] Worst Picture Howard Smith and Marvin Worth Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p260".
  2. ^ a b c London, Michael (20 July 1984). "'RHINESTONE' CONTROVERSY: THE ROCKY ROAD TO A HOLLYWOOD FLOP 'RHINESTONE' TIFF". Los Angeles Times. p. g1.
  3. ^ Rhinestone at Box Office Mojo
  4. ^ Harry Knowles (headgeek) (6 December 2006). "Round #4: Stallone talks about Dolly Parton, Rocky Balboa, his fave action stars and film, his ..." Aint It Cool News.
  5. ^ Harry Knowles (headgeek) (6 December 2006). "Round #5 – Stallone keeps slugging out answers to the AICN Mob!!!". Aint It Cool News.
  6. ^ Rhinestone at Rotten Tomatoes
  7. ^ "Rhinestone (1984) reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Variety Staff (1 January 1984). "Rhinestone". Variety.
  9. ^ "Search Winners". Academy of Country Music Awards. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Golden Raspberry Awards Previous Winners". razzies.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "1984 7th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
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