Main Cast: Pia Zadora, Lloyd Bochner, Bibi Besch, Joseph Cali, Anthony Holland
Release Year: 1983
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This undistinguished drama goes no further than clichéd views about women who gain success by bedding down those who have it. Pia Zadora stars as Jerilee, just out of high school and married to a prominent Hollywood screenwriter, with her own heart-felt aspirations to get her screenplays noticed by the right producers. Her marriage fails for many reasons and once on her own, she comes to the difficult decision that she really will go nowhere fast unless she uses her sexual charms to pave the way to recognition -- and so she does, with a bit of revenge thrown in at the end for good measure. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
Jared Martin - George; Ray Liotta - Joe; Carla Romanelli - Carla Maria Peroni; Olivier Pierre - George; Kendal Kaldwell - Joanne; Glory Annen - Marion; Jay Benedict - Dr. Sloan; Ed Bishop - Dr. Baker; Kieran Canter - Gary James; Sandra Dickinson - Nancy Day; Cyrus Elias - Nick Rossi; Maurizio Fardo - 2nd Man in Restaurant; Kate Harper - Actress in Film; Colette Hiller - Actress in Restaurant; Lou Hirsch - Bernie; Craig Kelly; Mickey Knox - Tom Castel; Cindy Leadbetter - Carol; Kim McKamy - Nurse; David Mills - Kirk Anderson; Billy Mitchell - Gross; Harrison Muller - Martin; Kenneth Nelson - Bud Weston; Shane Rimmer - Adolph Fannon; Victoria Zinny; Daphna Kastner - Annette; Nancy Wood - Janie; Mary D'Antin - Margaret Ballantine; Carolynn de Fonseca - Joanna; Jason Klassi; Robyn Mundell - Kim; Kerry Shale - Walt Thornton Jnr.; Joe Murphy - John Casey
Credit
Luciano Spadoni - Art Director, Giorgio Armani - Costume Designer, Peter Sasdy - Director, Keith Palmer - Editor, Enzo Bulgarelli - Production Designer, Brian West - Cinematographer, Claude Hitchcock - Sound/Sound Designer, Harold Robbins - Book Author
Jerilee Randall (Pia Zadora) is an innocent schoolgirl living in the San Fernando Valley with dreams of becoming a famous screenwriter. Shortly after winning a trophy for her creative writing, she meets the son of a famous screenwriter, Walter Thornton (Lloyd Bochner), at a party. She goes home with him, along with some other friends. During a late evening pool party, one of Jerilee's "friends" (Ray Liotta) sexually assaults her with a garden hose nozzle. Walter arrives after the assault has taken place and saves her from further attacks. A friendship develops between them, and they soon marry, despite the disapproval of Jerilee's mother (Bibi Besch). The marriage begins to fall apart when she rewrites one of his scripts and improves it greatly (albeit by merely adding the word, "Why?"). Divorce is inevitable when Walter scorns Jerilee during an argument and accuses her of enjoying having been raped.
As the years pass, Jerilee has several love affairs while trying to get her screenplay produced. She uses her sexual charms to pave the way to recognition, with revenge thrown in the end for good measure. Jerilee finally has a nervous breakdown in a sequence where she sees the callous people of her past appear as faces on the keys of her typewriter. The film ends with Jerilee finally successful and winning a prestigious award for her screenplay of a film called the "The Hold-outs". At the live awards telecast, she admits to her ex-husband Walter Thornton that she has never learned "the meaning of self-respect". Jerilee then refuses to accept the award, and walks out of the auditorium with her newfound dignity.
The Lonely Lady was hugely panned by critics, where the film was nominated for 11 Golden Raspberry Awards and won 6 including Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Musical Score and Worst Original Song ("The Way You Do It"). It was nominated for a Razzie as Worst Picture of the Decade, but lost to Mommie Dearest and again as Worst Drama of the Razzies' First 25 Years, but lost to Battlefield Earth. Zadora won Worst New Star of the Decade for this film along with Butterfly. She was also nominated for Worst Actress of the Century, but lost to Madonna. However, gay TV personality Ian Benardo often cites this movie as one of his favorites of all time, along with Bolero and Showgirls.
Availability
Although the film was available in the past on both VHSvideocassette and laserdisc, it has never been released on DVD. For that reason, both the videocassette and the laserdisc are somewhat collectible.
