Hilary Duff And The Bad Movies. But She Made It Big Time!!

 

The road to fame is a rocky one. It's paved with a plethora of human obstacles, including — but not limited to — naiveté, hubris, treachery, lies, exploitation and lack of talent. Still, the lure of the footlights (such as they are) is strong, and every day scads of fresh-faced young hopefuls get off the bus in either New York or Los Angeles, hoping to be the next Hilary Duff — which is very different than hoping to be the next Lili Taylor. You'd think that as backstabbing and insular as it is, Hollywood would make films trying to discourage this foolish gambling. But the number of movies telling of the horrors of stardom-seeking are outnumbered by the cinematic fairy tales in which, against all odds, our plucky small-town heroine (it's almost always a girl) manages to grab that brass ring of showbiz success in the big city. "Raise Your Voice" is the newest entry in this genre, which dates back to 1933 with "42nd Street" (now a Broadway staple).

One of the beset "Yokel Goes Gold" movies is the 1962 cult classic "Wild Guitar," directed by the "great" Ray Dennis Steckler. In the film, Bud Eagle (Arch Hall Jr.) rides into Hollywood on his motorcycle, nothing but his guitar strapped to his back. Within about a half-hour of arriving in L.A., he's playing guitar on a TV show and is the hottest thing in La-La Land. Signed by an unscrupulous manager, he is manipulated and forced to compromise both his artistic integrity and his, uh, personal morality. Enjoyable on so many levels, "Wild Guitar" deserves to be seen if only for the performance of director Steckler as a guy called "Steak."

But the true template for the "kid making it in showbiz" genre was cut in 1980 by the film "Fame." Bringing the New York City High School for the Performing Arts to the attention of the world, the movie melded the classic musical formula with youth-oriented soap opera. Spanning four years, the Alan Parker film is only slightly less harrowing than the director's glimpse into a Turkish prison in 1978's "Midnight Express." Irene Cara, take off your top or you don't get the part! Paul McCrane, accept your sexuality — in another two decades, it'll be all the rage! More than any other movie, "Fame" is responsible for the notion that anyone can be a star. For that reason alone, "Fame" (both the movie and the subsequent TV series) is the only slab of pop culture that truly deserves to be banned. OK, make that "Fame" and "Chasing Amy."

Jump ahead two decades to "Coyote Ugly" (2000), as much a fairy tale as anything ever concocted by the Brothers Grimm. Piper Perabo plays Violet Sanford, a gal from Jersey who moves to New York to make it as a songwriter. It's one of those films that makes it seem as if New Jersey is somewhere in the Indian subcontinent instead of right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Having absolutely no experience as a bartender, she gets a job at one of the most difficult watering holes in the city, the ass-kickin' Coyote Ugly (serving as a stand-in for the far less corporate Hogs & Heifers, which wouldn't sell out to Hollywood). Setting whiskey on fire and having wet T-shirt contests increase Violet's self-confidence as she unsuccessfully peddles her demos to music publishers and labels. Violet falls in love with a hot young promoter (with an accent, even!) who helps her overcome her stage fright and find her true voice, leading, ultimately, to success. Aw!