Themes: Musician's Life, All Washed Up, Down on Their Luck
Main Cast: Gina Gershon, Drea de Matteo, Lori Petty, Shelly Cole, Marc Blucas
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Jacki (Gina Gershon, who also served as a producer) has always wanted to be a rock star. But after years of struggling to make it, she's turning 40, and she's thinking of giving it up. "Do you ever think about being 50 or 60 years old, hauling our gear around, passing out flyers, fighting with bookers, and still sweating around?" she asks her bandmates. Faith (Lori Petty), the talented lead guitarist, gives guitar lessons to hyperactive teens on the side. Faith is seriously involved with the much younger Sally (Shelly Cole of TV's Gilmore Girls), the band's good-natured drummer. Tracy (Drea de Matteo of HBO's The Sopranos), the bass player, is a trust-fund baby with a substance abuse problem and a manipulative lowlife boyfriend, Nick (Ivan Martin). Jacki's thoughts of quitting are put on hold when the band gets a shot at a recording contract for an independent label and a gig opening for X. Then Sally's big brother, Animal (Marc Blucas, formerly of TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer), arrives in town, fresh out of prison, and stirs up Jacki's romantic life. But when two tragic events shake the band, Jacki is again forced to consider finding something else to do with her life. Prey for Rock & Roll was written by Cheri Lovedog, based on her own experiences in the rock world. It was originally performed as a stage play at CBGB in New York. The stage production was directed by Robin Whitehouse, who gets a writing credit for the screenplay. The film marks the directorial debut of accomplished film music producer Alex Steyermark. It was shown at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Alex Steyermark's Prey for Rock & Roll rings true when it confines itself to the atmosphere of a struggling, aging, all-girl rock band. The game cast, including Gina Gershon, Lori Petty, and Drea de Matteo, sets the right tone, eschewing typical Hollywood glamour for a more lived in, burnt-out look. Years of frustration and rejection have clearly taken their toll on these characters, and their acerbic banter, as they work through the band's everyday worries, seems pitch perfect. Gershon even sings well enough to be believable as a would-be rock star. The film nails its realistically skuzzy, low-rent L.A. setting, but screenwriters Robin Whitehouse and Cheri Lovedog (whose writing is based on her personal experiences as a musician) are determined to work a clunky plot into the scenario. Then Lovedog's original songs are performed in response to the soap opera theatrics onscreen, making them seem overly literal and pedantic. The romance might seem a little contrived at first, and the ex-con (effectively played by Marc Blucas) whom Jacki (Gershon) falls for, a bit too good to be true, but the film maintains a certain grace until the story goes off the rails in melodramatic fashion. Prey for Rock & Roll achieves an appropriate mood with wit and style, exemplified by the film's cleverly designed opening credits, but then squanders the good will it's built up with a shoddy story line. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Ivan Martin - Nick; Eddie Driscoll - Chuck; Nancy Pimental - Natalie; Ashley Drane - Punk Rock Guitar Student; Shakara Ledard - Jessica; Greg Rikaart - Scott
Credit
Alexis Magagni-Seely - Co-producer, Vanessa Vogel - Costume Designer, Alex Steyermark - Director, Allyson C. Johnson - Editor, Robin Whitehouse - Executive Producer, Linda Cohen - Musical Direction/Supervision, Gina Gershon - Songwriter, Cheri Lovedog - Songwriter, John Chichester - Production Designer, Antonio Calvache - Cinematographer, Gina Gershon - Producer, Gina Resnick - Producer, Donovan Mannato - Producer, Steven M. Weiss - Sound/Sound Designer, Tim O'Heir - Sound/Sound Designer, Cheri Lovedog - Screenwriter, Robin Whitehouse - Screenwriter, Cheri Lovedog - Play Author
Prey for Rock & Roll is set in Los Angeles club scene of the late 1980s and follows the story of Jacki (Gershon) and her all-girl punk rock band, Clam Dandy. On the verge of turning 40, Jacki decides that if the band's one last shot at the big time is unsuccessful, she will give up her dreams of stardom. Along the way, the women are rocked by personal tragedies that threaten to break up the band before they can get their last shot at success.
