Verdict
Summary
Springfield isn’t a bad musician or singer (or actor, for that matter), and the movie would certainly get a few extra points if you’re a fan of his, but the movie doesn’t do much to make us like him; it just assumes you’re going to like him without giving us anything to grab a hold of, so I suppose the movie is aptly titled.
Plot:
A famous rock star meets a woman who couldn’t care less who he is at first, and they fall in love, which complicates both of their lives.
Review:
Jamie Roberts (Rick Springfield right after his mega hit “Jessie’s Girl”) is one of the biggest rock stars in the world and right after a concert in San Francisco he is trying to escape his fans when he gets into a fender bender with a beautiful woman named Diana (Janet Eilber) who has no idea who he is. Later, he buys her a new car (which she rejects) as an apology, and instead of being flattered by his attentions, she considers it harassment instead of a come-on. Jamie doesn’t give up, though, and after repeated attempts to get her attention, she gives in and sleeps with him, but he’s shocked when she throws him out immediately after sex. This guy can’t win! Meanwhile, his record label is demanding that he deliver his newest album, but with writer’s block and love trouble, his entire band and manager struggle with managing Jamie’s mood swings and unreliability. He spends all his energy chasing after Diana, and while he tries to romance her, his new album suffers creative catastrophe, and it isn’t going to get any easier when Jamie will have to move on soon to tour 75 more cities after San Francisco …
A typically one-note ’80s rock star romantic drama, Hard to Hold is all right for what it is, but it would have benefitted the film greatly if we actually liked Jamie as a character. As he’s written, this guy is a one-track-minded selfish sex machine without an ounce of depth or dimension. Springfield isn’t a bad musician or singer (or actor, for that matter), and the movie would certainly get a few extra points if you’re a fan of his, but the movie doesn’t do much to make us like him; it just assumes you’re going to like him without giving us anything to grab a hold of, so I suppose the movie is aptly titled. Larry Peerce directed it.
Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release of Hard to Hold brings the film to high definition for the first time, and it comes with a new audio commentary by a film journalist, as well as a video interview with director Peerce (which I watched to get some perspective), some radio spots, and the trailer.
