Songwriter (1984)

Though not the surprise hit that Honeysuckle Rose, Willie Nelson's first starring vehicle, turned out to be, Songwriter serves as a scruffy, but in surprising ways, more substantial companion piece. Nelson essentially plays himself in both films, a country musician who'd rather play and sing than worry about messy details in life like marital fidelity (Honeysuckle Rose) or the details of contracts (Songwriter). The value of this film, aside from watching Nelson and Kris Kristofferson try to out-cool one another, is its insight into the music business. Bud Shrake's script doesn't stint on the musical numbers and the horseplay, but it also deftly weaves a story of betrayal among the rowdier moments. The way Shrake (and presumably, Nelson and Kristofferson) see it, businessmen take the lion's share of the booty by manipulating naïve or simply powerless recording artists into unfair long-term contracts. If it weren't for the generally gregarious personalities of the stars, this film might have had an even sharper edge. One wonders what the same story starring a harder case like Waylon Jennings might have turned out to be. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide