The Idolmaker (DVD, 2000)

There was a period that the musical made a brief comeback. We had Saturday Night Fever, Grease, The Wiz, Xanadu, You Can't Stop The Music, The Jazz Singer and Flashdance to name a few.

In the midst of all this, a small film was produced in the same year as The Jazz Singer, starring Neil Diamond. It was a film called The Idolmaker.

Meant to loosely represent the life and times of Bob Marucci, the guy that brought Fabian and Frankie Avalon of "Beach Blanket Bingo" fame, it shows the flight and turbulence of his meteoric rise to legitimacy through hard work, sacrifice, and the terrorizing of his musical charges.

Ray Sharkey, a more than competent actor really electrifies the character he plays, Vincent Vaccardi, and shows the passion and deep pain of the rise and fall of his creations. Paul Land plays his first idol, Tommy Dee, a character he tortures like a fly on a pin to create a success of his music. The original cookie cutter pop star, Ray spins a cyclone around his charge, elevating him to great heights, only to have his soul torn apart through his concrete maliability. He then takes on Peter Gallahger, playing a lowly worker, a diamond in the rough, one he rechristens Caesare. Brilliant marketing propels yet another comet into the stratosphere, a star on the rise. Unfortunately, Sharkey controls and twists and contorts this charge to an even greater degree, and as a result, is even more beleaguered when Caesare finally also jumps ship to avoid the slavery he's been painted into (not to mention his white pants as well).

In the end, the moral is that you can only please yourself, and you leave the film on a mild note, one of two defects within the storyline.

The music does not represent the period the Idolmaker is set in, the late fifties. Instead, it takes pop cues from the current decade, making the film less believable.

However, that being said, for pure entertainment, and a little planned frustration through the eyes of the kinetic Ray Sharkey, it's a winner even to this day.

This is a fantastic movie. The story is real good. I saw this when it first came out in the movie theaters. It's directed by Taylor Hackford. Incredible director. Ray Sharkey is a great leading actor for this movie. I still enjoy watching this some 20+ years later. It's portrayed about the lives of Frankie Avalon & Fabian. Although they said it's not because it made them look bad. But I am sure it is. A lot of the music is written by the songwriters Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. The music is solid but my one complaint being a musician and music lover of the 50's & 60's. It's way over produced and way too slick for that era. Which does effect the mood of the movie. But is still one of my favorite all times movies. Enjoy!!!

Great throwback of how the 80s did the 50s.
Taylor hackford brings to the screen a movie with authentic sounding 50s music and shows haw stars were created/manufactured. This should be the `how to` visual handbook for the American Idol mindset.
The only thing that would make this movie better is if it was available in Widescreen.
This proves that Ray Sharkey was a great loss.

Im an OC fan and fond of PETER GALLAGHER and his role not only in television,music and in this movie. RAY SHARKY plays a perfect role as manager extrodinaire finding and grooming talent.Movie seemed a bit slow at times, but music content was great and made you want to dance along.A nice movie to see with your mate.

A film that took me back to my first childhood crush. Peter Gallagher definitely a star that will never let anyone forget him. This movie will definitely make anyone dare to dream a dream. If you just need a little hope in a world that you feel you have lost all hope then take a little trip and escape to live a dream and forget all your problems.