Yesterday's Hero

A prime piece of late 1970s' fluff starring Ian McShane as a (sort of) George Best character and Paul Nicholas as a wealthy pop star who has bought into a football club (I'm guessing this part of the film was inspired by Elton John's involvement with Watford FC). Written by renown football expert Jackie Collins, and also starring Suzanne Somers as Cloudy, the type of female character name you could only get in a film written by Jackie Collins ...with Alan Lake in all his medallion man glory, who appears to have done more lines offscreen than he gets onscreen.

Whereas most movies with Jackie Collins' name attached to them were ubiquitous during the VHS era (especially 'The Stud' and 'The Bi*ch') this one mysteriously never made it to video in the UK, but has been dusted off a few times recently by Talking Pictures TV.

A famous singer (Suzanne Somers), and an aging pro soccer player (Ian McShane), who hooked-up years before, find themselves crossing paths again, in England, in this drama, that has a hard time getting started, but ends up being good enough, for an "E For Effort". Somers gets top billing in Yesterday's Hero (1979). Somers' Cloudy Martin, is one-half of a pop-music duo, known as Martin and Simon (Paul Nicholas). In the real world, I guess, they are like the Captain and Tennille, type-of, late-1970s pop music. The soundtrack is very disco driven. The way their performances are presented in the film, look very much like performances from television hits like, the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971-1974) and Donny and Marie (1976-1979). The music in Yesterday's Hero (1979), is pretty bad. Suzanne isn't a convincing singer, however it definitely sounds like her. It's not dubbed.

Yesterday's Hero (1979), is a British production, that was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The low budget used for the film, which is obviously visible in this production, unintentionally, but positively, gives the film some realism and a grittiness, that produces a fairly cool, 1970s-style to it. Unfortunately, I could only find a VHS, 4:3 version of the film, which also looked squeezed. I am hoping, the day I stumble across Yesterday's Hero (1979) again, next time, hopefully, I can watch a new HD version of it. It may improve the grade, that I gave the film. The muddy VHS quality was a rough watch. This film feels like a hallmark, lifetime type of movie, but it was released before cable networks were a thing. Even though it has a PG rating, there is an evident TV-movie effect going on. The film was directed by Neil Leifer.

Yesterday's Hero (1979), is a mix of staged singing sequences, interwoven between a soccer practice or game. Ian McShane plays Rod Turner, who among, the other things I mentioned, is also a drunk. It's good that he runs into Cloudy and Simon, because they decide to help Rod, make a comeback in pro soccer. The TV-movie aura felt in the film, is reenforced by acting lines, that felt like they were written for TV and not written, for a theatrical film. This was an era when they still said, "let's make love", on television, instead of "let's have sex". Yesterday's Hero (1979), is kind of lame, but it still deserves an E for Effort. The plot begins to feel like, its coming out of control and it has an abrupt ending. I'm talking quick. There are some funny moments, like seeing Ian McShane load 15 kids into a 1970s, European station wagon, which looks like a tank, because he teaches soccer to kids, but transportation was somewhat cheap. In the final credits it says, Suzanne Somers' wardrobe - from her closet.

PMTM Grade: E+ (5.2) = 5 IMDB.

YESTERDAY'S HERO is an odd little film about a washed-up drunken footballer trying to get his life back on track. I watched it for two reasons: one is that I've been getting into these 'kitchen sink' type dramas recently and I was expecting more of the same, and two, I'm a massive fan of Ian McShane and I was looking forward to seeing him in a different role from the usual gangster tough guys and the like. I think it's fair to comment that McShane makes this movie. He completely convinces as the former star and gets the viewer on side despite not playing an entirely sympathetic hero. He's thoroughly believable and the consummate professional as always. Sadly, the rest of the film can't match his talent. The film was written by Jackie Collins and has a high level of cheese and schmaltz in it that I wasn't expecting.

Worst of all are the random disco dancing sequences which are shoe-horned into the plot at random intervals and which seem to go on and on endlessly. These feature American starlet Suzanne Somers and Adam Faith teaming up to perform a number of cheesy duets with some of the annoyingly catchy tunes playing repeatedly throughout. Now, I'm a fan of '70s music so I liked the tunes here, but they're completely out of place compared to the rest of the film which goes for a gritty atmosphere and they slow things down considerably. It's almost as if they were added in as an afterthought following the success of Saturday NIGHT FEVER and they do a disservice to McShane's central plot line.

Yesterday's Hero is Rocky meet George Best via Elton John and Saturday Night Fever. It certainly was an oddball film which explained why the British movie industry was dying by the end of the 1970s.

Rod Turner (Ian McShane) is the over the hill womanising football player who is fond of the booze. He gets a chance to play with a lower league side owned by a pop star Clint Simon. The team is having a great run in the FA Cup and Turner has the experience if not quiet the legs anymore.

Only the manager Jake (Adam Faith) hates Turner and the feeling is mutual.

The movie is basically will the team reach the FA cup final. Can Turner keep off the booze and the self destructive lifestyle. Will the songs get better.

The movie is filled with disco themed songs sung by Paul Nicholas who plays Clint and the token American Suzanne Somers who is the perky Cloudy.

While the team are doing well, Clint is on an around the world tour. You know this as Clint goes 'Hello Amsterdam' or 'Hello Stockholm' but the stage looks the same wherever they go.

As for Adam Faith. He is the most unconvincing football manager I have seen.

The script by Jackie Collins was merely functional and she toned down the sauciness. Director Neil Leifer was too inexperienced. You can tell from the training footage sequences. It is no Rocky.

At least McShane gave a committed performance and it would had worked better if the script was good and the songs were excised from it.

One of the last films I ever reviewed for the Sydney Sun many years ago. Just on a quarter of a century since, the fondness hasn't grown I have to say!

McShane is passably good as the ex soccer star with a heavy dependence on the frosty brew and who dreams of the big comeback! Nope, this wasn't a biopic of Georgie Best. An adaptation of a Jackie Collins story no less - which should give you some idea of its classical pedigree.

Dear old Adam Faith (pop icon of the early 60's - WHAT DO YOU WANT, POOR ME and for a fortnight, Sunday Mornings' most requested song on the Jean Metcalfe hour.....SOMEONE ELSE'S BAYBEE!) plays Jake Marsh trying to help McShane in his quest. Kind of a BUDGIE role for him!..know wot I mean?

What DOES tag this as a memorable production. Can you believe a seventeen year old Cary Elwes no less as a disco dancer? It was his first screen appearance. Long long way from the London of the 70's to LIAR LIAR and TWISTER!

No great shakes of an Aussie/UK co-production. Think you could be hangin' out for a while waiting for the dvd!