Prey for Rock & Roll (2003)

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Directed by Alex Steyermark.

Starring Gina Gershon, Lori Petty, Drea de Matteo, Marc Blucas, Shelly Cole.

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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

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Reviews and discussions

Imitation of Angst : Gypsy 83
by jlgdrd in Wicked Fun

hasn't rated it.

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"Often there comes a time when a bad (or inept, or failed) movie will unwittingly tip its hand. It could be a piece of dialogue that encapsulates a central flaw, or it might be a device that functions as damage control. In Gypsy 83, it’s a chapter when Gypsy and Clive, en route to a singing competition in New York, spend an evening with a more or less retired singer, Bambi LeBleau (Karen Black). She is congenial, down-to-earth, unperturbed and dishonest only in the sense that she is trying to put a brave face on adversity. Black has been acting for at least thirty years now (Five Easy Pieces, Nashville, Easy Rider) and her screen presence and skill are so effortless that they too often go unnoticed. Her performance appears to infect Sara Rue (Gypsy) and Kett Turton (Clive) who seem completely different in this sequence, and outshines them in the rest of the film. She’s invested in the role, but experienced enough to trust her intuitions. When they decide to leave Bambi b ... " [More]

Damaged Goods: Prey for Rock an ...
by jlgdrd in Wicked Fun

hasn't rated it.

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"There's a lot to like about Prey for Rock and Roll and a lot to set your teeth on edge. I guess I could never completely pan a film featuring out-and-proud dykes in an all-woman punk band called Clamdandy.That's one of the reasons why I feel conflicted reviewing queer-themed films. When I start to shift into critical mode, another part of me says, "Remember how it used to be? Remember when movies like this were unimaginable? When film lesbians were cartoony and used for a cheap laugh? Remember Open City and Notorious?"I'm thrilled that a movie like Prey for Rock and Roll comes along with a reasonably intelligent (though overly glib) script and positive role models. It never hints that Jacki or the other band members need men to fix or complete them, quite the reverse in fact. It doesn't shrink from exposing our heroines at less than flattering moments. Yet there seems to be some ambivalence, a discrepancy between the film's ideology and its plot. For all its enlightenment it still ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

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

Tags: drummer , exconvict , guitar , hardrock-music , heavymetalmusic
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