That's the Way of the World

This is an often amusing insider look at the music business. Keitel plays a producer who is saddled with a G-rated group and is expected to make them popular with the public. There are lots of satirical in-jokes about the egos of recording stars, their managers and the people who run the studios. It has a lot of 70s nostalgia value and many of the philosophies spouted by the characters are still en vogue with the music biz today. All in all, a good job by all involved.

I've got to hand it to screenwriter Robert Lipsyte. This movie spends the vast majority of its runtime seeming as if it's entirely too perfect - a huge band, a major (and as of yet just rising) star, a tried and true tale of trying to maintain one's soul while resisting a surging tide of schlocky conformity, and substantial, important themes about the dehumanizing corruption of (the music) business and capitalism set against the vibrant, pulsing heart of real people and real culture. Given the characters, the dialogue, and the (sterile, soulless, boot-licking) song that are set up to represent the quagmire of iniquitous, destructive forces, and in contrast the band (Earth, Wind, & Fire) and music that are centered as the heart of the real and good and true, from the outset the story seems entirely too easy, simple, neat, and clean. Superman is arguably troubled as a character because Perfectly Good plus Perfectly Powerful equates to Perfectly Boring, and in much the same way, 'That's the way of the world' seems primed to tell us exactly everything that we know, and everything that we want to hear, and primed to therefore fall flat in the process. In every way, it really seems like the feature is going to choose Option A or at most Option C in its storytelling - and I'm so very pleased that Lipsyte instead turns the tables and goes for Option Z. I'm not saying that this is flawless, but for those who are patient and willing to see where the journey takes you, it is, after all, a terrific film.

It would have been all too basic to take the path of least resistance and tell precisely the story for which the stage seems to be set from the start. Less obvious, and only slightly less basic, would have been telling a bleak story of a man yielding to that corrupting influence of conformity, and losing himself in the process - Option A, and what I like to call Option C. What we get instead is Option Z, the long game, a narrative that's the least expected and the most satisfying. It's literally only within the last five minutes that Lipsyte gives us the payoff of the plot and shows us what it is he's actually been building all the while. That resolution is delicious, however, and a total joy as a viewer. I can honestly say that I spent most of these ninety minutes preparing to write scathing remarks lambasting lazy writing and film-making, and so I'm all too happy at the harder, smarter direction that the feature ultimately takes.

It still has issues, mind you. Despite the prominence of Earth, Wind, & Fire in marketing and retrospective, and their presence in the soundtrack, they don't have very much time on-screen. This is only in accordance with the nature of the plot, but I was still rather surprised. More meaningfully troublesome is that 'That's the way of the world' does feel imbalanced when all is said and done, for we are given very different ideas at one point or another of where the narrative is going; for the strength of the emphasis of these discrete notions, it almost comes across that the picture didn't actually know what it wanted to be, as though Lipsyte had a last-minute revelation of an ending that would totally change the tone. Clearly this isn't true, but I say this only to speak to the unevenness in the presentation. And to that point as well, we get glimpses of still other story ideas that just aren't earnestly broached at all, specifically the rot that can lie underneath the most wholesome of images ("All-American," indeed), and the despoiling power of fame.

Lastly - I don't specifically blame director Sig Shore per se, but it's also noteworthy that the acting here just doesn't make much of an impression. We know well what Harvey Keitel is capable of, but he mostly just seems to coast by in his starring role, and the same very much goes for pretty much else on hand. Earth, Wind, & Fire is highly esteemed for their music, and deservedly so, though for what time they have in front of the camera, I can't necessarily speak as well of their performances. To be frank, I'm as astonished as anyone that it's Cynthia Bostick, who seems to have very few credits to her name, who in my opinion gives the most dynamic and praiseworthy performance of the movie. So far as I can tell 'That's the way of the world' marked her debut as an actor - in a considerable supporting part no less - so it says a lot about her that she handled the role so well.

So no, at length, for good and for ill this isn't perfect: not in the way we hope, but thankfully, also not in the way we fear. It's a little bit of a rough ride, all told, to the point that I wonder if I'm not being too generous in my assessment. Yet even if there is very little to stand out about the production - well done though it may be - the music, Keitel's involvement, and above all Lipsyte's storytelling are unquestionably worth reflecting on, with the latter turning out to be the strongest bit after all. For as bumpy as the viewing experience is overall I can't begrudge anyone who regards the picture more poorly, and in fairness, for most of the runtime there isn't necessarily a lot to particularly hold onto. Still, for those who are willing to take whatever may come and let films tell their stories in their own time, the destination is well worth the trip we're taken on. Unless you're an utmost fan of someone involved you maybe don't need to go out of your way for 'That's the way of the world,' but if you have the chance to watch, this is splendidly enjoyable and worth checking out.

While Earth, Wind, & Fire appear in this movie and their music-particularly the instrumental parts of "Shining Star" and the movie title song-are showcased, it's not about them at least not all the way through. They play The Group which is record producer Harvey Keitel's passion project. But his major record company wants him to drop them to concentrate on a supposedly wholesome family act called The Pages. Keitel's character really doesn't want to but he's told he has no choice. So he does what he can to make them sound good while also getting involved with the female lead singer Velour (Cynthia Bostick). She's really into him while he's keeping his cool much of the time. I'll just now say this was quite compelling dramatically and while it threatens to get explosive, it's not blisteringly so. So I say give That's the Way of the World a look.

One of those movies that you don't hear a lot about, and it's not bad, really, for a music group's outright propaganda piece: herein promoting the soulful funk/disco outfit Earth, Wind & Fire. And with Harvey Keitel as a sane version of record-producing phenom Phil Spector, this should've been a goldmine... or at least silver...

But the problem with THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD is it spends too much time on an uninteresting romance between Keitel's Coleman Buckmaster and the lead singer of a white milquetoast singing trio, who have as little talent as Earth, Wind & Fire's fictional band The Group has soul and motivation...

Sadly, we only see the latter jamming twice: the best during an opening credit sequence liken to, say, a car racing flick with a line of rod rods revving at the starting gate as The Group warms up each instrument with funky delight...

Then when Keitel's given the task to instead record a single for the other outfit, called The Pages, the ingenue alone is the best thing going: But mostly for her looks: think exploitation starlet Angel Tompkins had she joined The Partridge Family...

Introducing Cynthia Bostick as one of those progressive 1970's women who says what she means and holds little back, acting like cocky go-to dudes did in the 1950's while making the producer/artist courtship anything but subtle, or intriguing. She practically throws herself into Keitel's arms, and there could have been some worthy sparks flying, especially in the recording studio where things go way too easily for both...

As an actress, Bostick only has three credits to her name (the rest on television). And ironically, the only other potentially great character is played by a tough looking Italian with this his sole effort, named Charles McGregor, as a mobster-like industry mogul, who seems more fitting a movie where a far too subdued Keitel would have fit much better. He has a way of making threats without saying much to his sellout underlings Michael Dante and Ed Nelson, both repeating the exposition/plotline mantra: that Keitel's "Buck" needs to think about money over artistic integrity...

So it's that much more frustrating for Earth, Wind & Fire not having a more active part, musically and otherwise, and it seems like Maurice White and company were ready and willing: this could have been their very own ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, and four years beforehand.

Ultimately, a fantastic twist end explaining how Keitel bedded down the ingenue so quickly, and without any obstacles, makes up for the slow, uneventful buildup. But overall, as an attempted realistic/edgy glimpse into the music industry, THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD simply doesn't pay enough dues.

This film was featured on the Decades You Were Born in 1970s. While the film could be forgettable, Harvey Keitel stands out as Coleman Buckmaster, a New York City music producer. The film has a largely forgettable storyline and romance between Coleman and Amanda. Coleman's entire life was dedicated to music. He goes to a party with music industry people. He wants to promote his group over a lily white singing group from Florida. His relationship with Amanda grows from their first meeting. The film is satisfactory overall. I enjoyed seeing New York City in the 1970s. Other then Keitel and Earth, Wind and Fire, I don't see many familiar names in the cast. If you're a devout Harvey Keitel fan, you will see this film as his breakout as a leading actor.