The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

Yeah, it's cheesy. Dennis Quaid and Kristy McNichol sing, or try to. That just about says it all. But, I grew up watching this movie. It seems like it came on every summer, along with Kristy's other flicks: "Only When I Laugh" and "Little Darlings." I went to great lengths recently to buy the out-of-print video. Seeing it just takes me back. Great cinema? Uh, no. But good for a little nostalgia and fun cheesiness? Definitely.

I guess what makes this flick so unique for me is the fact that it was filmed almost entirely on location in my hometown....of Trenton, Georgia...which is a smalltown(Population app. 1,500) in the Northwest Georgia Mountains....the backdrop wasn't changed at all...and now I can watch this film and see my hometown 22 years ago(even though it was released in 1981...it was filmed during the summer months of 1980)....The script is lacking indeed..I'll give you that...but, it does have my favorite actor of all time(Dennis Quaid) starring in it...I've often thought if they'd made the movie based strictly on the lyrics to the well known Vicki Lawrence song..it would have been much better....But, as it is...if you aren't from the Chattanooga,Tn./Trenton,Ga. area it would probably be a major dissapointment for you....But, if you like Dennis Quaid or Don Stroud you'll enjoy it...worth watching...Dennis Quaid surprised me...He really can sing!!!

Travis Child (Dennis Quaid) is a skirt-chasing hard-drinking country singer. His sister Amanda Child (Kristy McNichol) is his tough driven manager pushing to go to Nashville. They've been on the road for six months and always on the run from jealous boyfriends/husbands or general mayhem. They get separated. Amanda is stopped by deputy Conrad (Mark Hamill). Travis gets arrested after hitting a cop.

The plot isn't anything special. The production is relatively lower grade. The movie does have two very charismatic performances. Quaid is terrific and a solid singer. McNichol is wonderful as the spunky teen with definite edge. I love them both. The country singing is pretty catchy. The movie runs a little long but it has the fine performances and Luke Skywalker, too.

I saw this film several times as a young teen. It's not the greatest film but it's not bad and a little bit underrated on IMDb. The country music film is a comedy-drama with a little action thrown in here and there. The movie also has a little romance in it as well. It is one of those lesser known films that I think more people would like if they took the time to view the movie.

Fans of country-western films like "Urban Cowboy", "Cole Miner's Daughter", "Crazy Heart" and "Tender Mercies" might like this film.

The movie is also a good recommendation for the people that like "hidden gems" - films that most people have forgotten even existed. Give "The Nights the Lights Went Out in Georgia" a chance one day when you are in the mood for something different than your normal film genre favorites.

7/10

After 1980's "Little Darlings" grossed some $40 million at the box office, everyone credited scene-stealer Kristy McNichol with its success; the teen actress then had the opportunity to do anything she wanted...and she chose this comedy-drama with country music. Why? Because she gets to sing, act sexy and tough, be soft, and do a drunk routine (which doesn't come off--she's one of the most unconvincing drunks ever). McNichol plays business-minded sis to brother Dennis Quaid, a hell-raising, skirt-chasing musician, but his scrapes with the law make Kristy turn to cop Mark Hamill for help. That's the whole plot, really. The picture is such a mess from a director's standpoint, I can imagine the editor (Anne Goursand) sitting at her cutting machine surrounded by reels of film going out of her mind. Pieces of it are energetic, McNichol is engaging, but the guys are colorless, the writing is pedestrian, and the ending is dopey instead of moving. The rather ungainly title is lifted from a 1972 hit song, which has been rewritten completely and rerecorded here. Why did they bother using it at all? ** from ****