Hard to Hold (1984)

You won't be disappointed!

Takes itself way too seriously

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Jamie Roberts (Rick Springfield) is a pop music superstar. He gives concerts, gyrates across the stage, and the crowd, mostly women, swoons. But, this gets old after awhile and he has been feeling somewhat restless. Borrowing a car after a show, Jamie gets into a minor traffic accident with a pretty schoolteacher, Diana (Janet Eilber) and he likes what he sees. However, she doesn't care if he is the richest man out there, she likes Tony Bennett and sane lifestyles. Nevertheless, when Jamie shows up below her apartment building in San Francisco and has a Tony-lookalike serenade her, she can't help but invite the good-looking singer into her apartment for an evening. Yet, she doesn't see any future between the two of them and tries to resist the start of any relationship. But, Jamie is relentless and they begin to go out as a couple. Can a teacher of troubled children who scorns "top 40" music really be a good match for a rock star? All right, I know, this film is the definitive guilty pleasure, for its strengths are mainly the looks and voice of one Rick Springfield. He has a smile that melts hearts and his goofy yet sincere portrayal of a rock star goes a long way to making the film attractive to a mostly female audience. Eilber is pretty and competent as the love interest and the supporting cast is quite nice as well. As for the setting in San Francisco, it is gorgeous, the costumes are nice, and the production values are strong. Yes, the plot is somewhat silly and unbelievable but the direction keeps the story going. The soundtrack, too, will either be very appealing or dismissive, depending on whether you are a fan of Springfield's. In short, if you adore little Ricky but you have never seen this film, get it soon. Toes will curl and chests will sigh over the Aussie singer's rare movie appearance.

The leading man, Rick Springfield did a good job with the lousy script he had to work with, but the casting could not have been worse for the leading lady. The actress (Janet Elliber) was ugly as dirt and looked about 15 years older than Rick, and there was nothing likable about her. She was supposed to be a mental health professional, yet she was extremely unbalanced and seemed to have a number of personality disorders. Patti Hansen gave a good performance as the jealous ex girl-friend, but her role wasn't developed enough to improve the film as a whole. Also, this movie came out before the PG-13 rating came along, so the editing is extremely choppy in places since the producers were trying to avoid an R rating. I think it definitely could have been better, and there are a few good scenes, particularly when Rick's character Jamie is performing on stage. Most of the music on the soundtrack was written and performed by Rick himself, and some of the songs like "Love Somebody" and "Don't Walk Away" are really memorable.

More like "Hard to Stomach." Springfield shows another facet of his no-talent in this plotless film about a rock star (Creative!) who tries to find love in a stuffy teacher. Who cares?

I agree with another person's comments that Rick was not given much to work with. Rick is a very talented actor and this movie WASTED his talents, other than the sequences with him singing in concert. The chemistry between his character, Jamie Roberts, and social worker Diana Lawson is very lacking. She looks old enough to be his mom, even! I thought the band didn't even need parts in the script. They were used as props anyway. I did like the character of Nikki, Jamie's ex-girlfriend, who tries desperately to get back together with him, but continuously gets rejected. This character could have even played a bigger role in the movie.However, if you are a fan of Rick's (as I am), it is a must-see. The music is the best part of the show, and once again Rick triumphs in this field! The song "Love Somebody" (performed in a concert sequence at the end of the film) makes the hour and a half long movie worth renting or buying.