As Maltin said, the film is "scored for the deaf," which isn't a bad thing - it at least displays some good songs from the era. The bizarre script is made convincing through excellent performances from Alverado and Johnson. Tim Curry, who only spent a few days working on the film, turns in a good performance too, despite his hokey accent (Just what sort of accent is that supposed to be? Still, it beats the mind-numbingly-fake one he used in "Congo."). The film may be short on focused plot, but wry, cynical dialogue abounds, mostly uttered by Curry.
The main problem with this film is the editing. It's obvious watching this movie the first time that something is missing. In trying to make a double-album-soundtrack, they sacrificed character development by jamming in as much music as possible. By doing so, they made the already-unbelievable script even more thin, making it unable to compete with the screen-time that the musical sequences received. Which leaves a reckless coming-of-age story to play out like a two-hour music-video. Sad in one way, the film could have been so much better, but it did give the movie a cult-like quality which set it firmly in a specific place and time. What's left often seems unreal and senseless, but Alvarado and Johnson are just so convincing with the little bit that they were given that one isn't always inclined to notice (which leads me to wonder why neither actress went on to bigger and better things).
Much speculation has been given to the lesbian-theme-aspect of the film. While the finished film only hints at it, scenes were supposedly played-out more in the original drafts of the script, although much of that was never filmed. Johnson is so butch it's hard to believe she's not a biker in real-life. Alvarado, who's initially shy and insecure, winds up shedding her wallflower image to idolize and embrace the ideals of her new friend. When Alvarado's focus shifts towards Curry, a jealous and drunken Johnson lashes out as if she'd just been cheated on. And just to annoy fans of the film, scenes from the trailor showed a scene (that was ultimately cut out) where Johnson and Alvarado splashed around and played in the river. Wouldn't it have been scandalous at that time to have two young girls in their early teens portrayed in a gay relationship? (Then again, many didn't realize the gay-themes that were so blatant in "A Nightmare On Elm Street 2" when it was first released five years later.)
It's been rumored that other lesbian-themed footage was shot and subsequently cut out, but since the film was such a forgotten flop, we may never know how much. I'm willing to bet this could have been an epic four-hour movie. When the DVD was being compiled, Achor Bay Entertainment did a search for missing footage, but they were unsuccessful at locating any. We're left only to imagine what the film could have been if they had toned down the music and stuck to the original vision. Perhaps one day. ..
The main problem with this film is the editing. It's obvious watching this movie the first time that something is missing. In trying to make a double-album-soundtrack, they sacrificed character development by jamming in as much music as possible. By doing so, they made the already-unbelievable script even more thin, making it unable to compete with the screen-time that the musical sequences received. Which leaves a reckless coming-of-age story to play out like a two-hour music-video. Sad in one way, the film could have been so much better, but it did give the movie a cult-like quality which set it firmly in a specific place and time. What's left often seems unreal and senseless, but Alvarado and Johnson are just so convincing with the little bit that they were given that one isn't always inclined to notice (which leads me to wonder why neither actress went on to bigger and better things).
Much speculation has been given to the lesbian-theme-aspect of the film. While the finished film only hints at it, scenes were supposedly played-out more in the original drafts of the script, although much of that was never filmed. Johnson is so butch it's hard to believe she's not a biker in real-life. Alvarado, who's initially shy and insecure, winds up shedding her wallflower image to idolize and embrace the ideals of her new friend. When Alvarado's focus shifts towards Curry, a jealous and drunken Johnson lashes out as if she'd just been cheated on. And just to annoy fans of the film, scenes from the trailor showed a scene (that was ultimately cut out) where Johnson and Alvarado splashed around and played in the river. Wouldn't it have been scandalous at that time to have two young girls in their early teens portrayed in a gay relationship? (Then again, many didn't realize the gay-themes that were so blatant in "A Nightmare On Elm Street 2" when it was first released five years later.)
It's been rumored that other lesbian-themed footage was shot and subsequently cut out, but since the film was such a forgotten flop, we may never know how much. I'm willing to bet this could have been an epic four-hour movie. When the DVD was being compiled, Achor Bay Entertainment did a search for missing footage, but they were unsuccessful at locating any. We're left only to imagine what the film could have been if they had toned down the music and stuck to the original vision. Perhaps one day. ..