Ray Sharkey, a promising actor whose career was sidetracked by drug problems and died of AIDS at the age of 40 in 1993, plays Vacarri with the appropriate bravado. His most memorable moment in the picture is standing backstage at the concert of one of his creations, mirroring every move and gesture he taught his protégé. The two young stars are played by Paul Land, as the Avalon character Tommy Dee, and Peter Gallagher, making his film debut as busboy Cesare, the Fabian character. Gallagher's best-known role is probably as the husband in Steven Soderbergh's first directorial feature, Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989), but he's probably most recognized by today's younger audiences as the dad on the TV series The O.C.
Director Taylor Hackford graduated from the University of Southern California in 1968 and did a two-year hitch in the Peace Corps. Upon his return to the States, he was hired by a Los Angeles TV station and later formed his own company, New Visions Productions, which he eventually merged into the New Century Company. His earliest works were documentaries for public television, and he won a Best Live Action Short Film Academy Award for Teenage Father (1978). The Idolmaker was his first feature. He has made a number of popular films in the last two decades, including An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and The Devil's Advocate (1997). He also directed a music documentary about Chuck Berry, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (1987), and produced a biopic about the Latin crossover 50s pop star Ritchie Valens, La Bamba (1987). He has lived with British actress Helen Mirren since 1986; the couple married in 1997.
Audiences will recognize several of the cast members. Olympia Dukakis (Mrs. Vacarri) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® for her role as Cher's mother in Moonstruck (1987). Joe Pantoliano (Gino Pilato) has been in many feature films and most recently played the infamous Ralph Cifaretto on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. And Maureen McCormick (Ellen Fields) was the unforgettable "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" on TV's The Brady Bunch. Screenwriter Edward Di Lorenzo, went on to teach screenwriting at the University of Southern California.
Although The Idolmaker was virtually ignored by moviegoers during its theatrical release, the majority of reviews and critical notices were very positive with Ray Sharkey's performance usually being singled out as the film's strongest attribute. Films in Review said "the film bursts with a raw, nervous energy; The Idolmaker is the Mean Streets of rock 'n roll movies." The New York Post wrote "this is a picture of well-tested effects in which everything works...Of course, the central performance by Ray Sharkey is spectacular as it should be." And the Village Voice noted that "The Idolmaker feels like this season's Saturday Night Fever-its street-kids-go-glamorous tempo busts with drive. The movie's blood pressure rises to hypertensive levels, especially when Vinnie (Ray Sharkey) is on screen." Clearly, the film deserves a second chance and anyone interested in this earlier era of pop music when talent was created and packaged by the promoter should check it out.
Director: Taylor Hackford
Producers: Gene Kirkwood, Howard W. Koch, Jr.
Screenplay: Edward Di Lorenzo
Cinematography: Adam Holender
Editing: Neil Travis
Art Direction: David L. Snyder
Original Music: Jeff Barry
Cast: Ray Sharkey (Vincent Vacarri), Tovah Feldshuh (Brenda Roberts), Peter Gallagher (Cesare), Paul Land (Tommy Dee), Olympia Dukakis (Mrs. Vacarri).
C-119m. Letterboxed.
by Rob Nixon
