Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson stars in Get Rich or Die Tryin' |
Elvis Presley was an absolute goldmine—making a windfall of money with hit records, sold-out concerts and starring roles in over 30 feature films. Not according to the critics, but proven by his fans, Elvis’ infamous charisma translated from medium to medium with ease and impressive box office results. Unlike many musicians-turned-actors who have come and gone since, this pop icon and his all-encompassing stardom, passed with flying colors, when put to the screen test; his films reportedly earned over $180 million, placing him, as a musician, in a category of his own. Movies are still the final frontier for pop stars.
“Rock Star” movies, particularly those created after the arrival of music cabler MTV, combine elements from music videos with Broadway-inspired musicals. Some aim for high art, others go for cheesy camp. But the right film can turn a one-hit wonder into an international sensation. And this month sees two music sensations in their respective starring roles coming to theaters near you: 50 Cent stars in the semi-autobiographical, gangsta drama Get Rich or Die Tryin, and Usher makes his film debut as a hot DJ in the mafia comedy In The Mix.
The question remains: Do 50 and Usher both have what it takes to captivate a movie audience? Will their names get people to buy tickets? And, the burning question: can they really act? The big screen offers these ambitious musicians a chance to look really good--or come off really bad. Musician-movies have produced everything from gawdy-gimmicks to cult-classics. Here are some of our favorite examples:
COOL AS ICE (1991)
It’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), but instead of James Dean we get Vanilla Ice. He plays Johnny Van Owen, a street-smart rapper with a bad haircut who comes to the suburbs. Johnny struts across the screen, spouting lines like, “Lose the zero, get with the hero.” The film showcases bad lip-synching and embarrassing wardrobe, offset by scenes of Vanilla Ice riding a yellow motorcycle in slow motion. It’s worth noting that Vanilla Ice made his film debut with a cameo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)--and Cool As Ice is a significant step down.
THE FASTEST GUITAR IN THE WEST (1967)
Elvis made a lot of bad movies. But what about the movies even he wouldn’t touch? One such script was produced as a Roy Orbison picture! The pale crooner removed his sunglasses to star as Johnny Banner, a confederate spy traveling undercover as a guitar instructor during the Civil War. If that’s not enough of a gimmick--the guitar shoots bullets! Movie posters proclaimed: “Roy Orbison on the screen at last!” as though the film were filling a heavy demand for Orbison as a matinee idol. This was Roy's first and last movie.
FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY (2003)
The American Idol movie had one thing going for it--there was no artistic integrity to compromise. It was the next step in evolution that the show’s producers would want to squeeze every possible penny out of their Idols. Still, optimistic film-fans were hoping that this might be the next Grease (1978), a great slumber-party movie with a sing-a-long soundtrack. Sadly From Justin to Kelly was simply a bad movie. And not the so-bad-it’s-good kind. It’s un-enjoyable on multiple levels. Kelly Clarkson survived this deadly film the way that a lucky passenger escapes a near-fatal car-crash. Justin Guarini was last seen playing himself on the reality prank show Film Fakers.
GLITTER (2001)
Mariah Carey’s quasi-autobiography Glitter has become synonymous with failure, often mentioned with titles such as Ishtar (1987), or Gigli (2003). The story of an up-and-coming singer was hated by critics and laughed at by audiences. Even co-stars Terrence Howard and Da Brat couldn’t help the sappy love story come together. Shortly after the film’s release, Mimi suffered a highly publicized meltdown. Recently, she explained that the film did poorly because it was released just after September 11th. Songs include "All My Life" and "Loverboy (Remix)."
THE HARDER THEY COME (1972)
Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come made him a super-star, bringing reggae to America and beyond. We meet Ivan, a country boy struggling to become a singer. After getting ripped-off by record producers, he turns to a life of crime. When Ivan kills a policeman, he becomes a folk hero and his record becomes a hit. The film is very 70’s in its raw look and style (younger viewers must remember that pacing was a lot slower in 1972.) The winning soundtrack became the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with songs by Cliff, Desmond Dekker, and Toots and the Maytels.
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