LynxMatthews

If you've ever gone to a callback for someone's misbegotten idea for an off- (x5) Broadway show, done your absolute best, and still been treated like dog-doo by the arrogant creators, this show is for you.

Essentially a love letter to the kids still out there trying to make a go in the modern world of musical theatre, this sweetly old-fashioned short-form show follows the titular Sami as she tries to book something more than an uncouth YouTube spot.

Delightful B'way cameos, winning supporting cast, no big message, some gorgeous songs that should be snapped up for future auditions and open mics, and one last reunion of Bruce Kimmel and the late Cindy Williams. I'm here for it, as the kids say.

This is one of those things you'd have a hard time convincing people really existed until the magic of the internet allowed you to prove it. The Pop 'N Rocker Game was a "Game show and Concert". Three contestants answer questions about music videos and bands and then all of a sudden, in the midst of the trivia, (generally if the answer to a question was a band you never heard of) that band would suddenly be there and come out and perform. The contestants and the audience would gather around with excitement and the game show would be interrupted for a song. The last contestant standing had to unscramble various band names to win the Big Prize. Then the guest band would come out and play again.

The part I wondered how they pulled off was any band who agreed to do the show was not a very famous band. Like the first time I ever heard of Romeo Void was on this show and I wondered what would happen if the contestants were like "I don't know the answer to this question. I never heard of Romeo Void." Would the band be stuck backstage never to come out and play? Certainly not.

Anyways, this was a cheesy artifact of the fun early '80s days when music videos were really taking over the world. So we got John "Bowser" Bauman in full '80s regalia (not retro '50s gear) as the host. Some questions involved clips from videos.

Sometimes you got two bands on one episode. Jack Mack and the Heart Attack and the post-Lionel Richie Commodores. Motley Crüe and Oingo Boingo are other bands that youtube clips show from this show.

Phil Hartman was the announcer reading about "a new color TV" and other great prizes. Watch the youtube clips to experience the magic.

I would tell anyone who likes rock music that Rick Springfield is way more than "Jesse's Girl." Listen to "Don't Talk to Strangers," for instance, as an example of a perfectly-crafted pop song. I was interested in this documentary as a look at what he is all about and, as promised, what the people are like who still follow his every move.

There are some extremely moving stories in this movie of fans whose lives have been touched by Rick's music, and it is interesting to see how Rick comes to terms with and embraces these fans.

Where the film doesn't follow through is on the story of Rick himself. There are 2-3 times when you think we the film is going to explore a little of his dark side, and then it quickly retreats. Rick is referred to as having been a "dick" but it isn't elaborated upon. Rick cheated on his wife, but we don't really get her viewpoint, even as he is still knee-deep in women throwing themselves at him. His depression is covered mostly in a montage of clips from interviews promoting his book, rather than by the filmmaker.

This is where a slight credibility gap emerges and the piece leans toward propaganda. Rick has saved the fans, that's clear; the fans helped save Rick, but from exactly what isn't fully explored. He's written a book and maybe that's what the film's purpose is to get people to purchase. It is interesting at first when you get former MTV veejay Mark Goodman commenting positively on Rick's recent music, but less credible when it is revealed he is an employee on Rick's cruise. Several of the documentary encounters with fans are clearly events manufactured by the filmmakers: Rick showing up in fans' hotel room, fans' husbands sneaking into concert. Compare those to the airplane incident with a fan and his friendship with Dustin and I'd suggest none of the manufactured drama held a candle to the real stuff.

So that is the conflict of the film: Fascinating material and great music that I wish Rick and the filmmakers would have trusted an audience with in tandem with a less varnished look at Rick and his fans.

Lastly, wish they could have used more of his music from the mid-'70s part of his career, as the visuals from Comic Book Heroes made me want to hear some of that great album!