Thoughts on Krush Groove

 

via filmforum.org/courtesy Warner Bros.

"What is rap music?"

"Let's just show him. ... An insurmountable beat subject of discussion."

"We can sell records with the aid of percussion."

"There's no category for this story."

"We can make lots of money ..."

"(in unison) In any territory."

Krush Groove makes a credible argument for one of my least favorite gimmicks, the gritty reboot.

Ostensibly depicting Def Jam Recordings' and "Russell Walker" (Blair Underwood) becoming major players in the music industry, the movie's impact is undercut by a plot woven from every single making it big story you have ever heard. Both Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin (who played himself) have said Groove was close enough to accurate and intended as an artists' showcase. Fair enough, but I found myself wondering why director Michael Schultz, screenwriter Ralph Farquhar and distributor Warner Bros. didn't just drop the plot altogether and do a concert film with maybe a few vignettes?

Stop me if you've heard these ones ...

Run-D.M.C. has a hit record, "King of Rock," with the demand exceeding Krush Groove's supply.

Financially-strapped Russell, who may be tested by God, gets a loan from shady Jay B. (Richard Gant).

Run (Joseph Simmons) bristles over Russell's control and Sheila E. (herself) liking Russell better.

Sheila is branching out as a rap performer and eventually Krush Groove's new discovery.

Galaxy Records tries to grab all of Groove's talent while Russell still owes Jay B.

The Fat Boys (themselves) just want to be famous, including participating in a talent contest.

Kurtis Blow (himself) is trying to keep everybody together and deliver some truth.

"And it's time for a change, to a better way/'Cause the sun has gotta shine through the cloudy day/So listen up world, while I teach this class/And take heed to the message or we ain't gonna last/'Cause I know, the solution, is the contribution/Of woman and man to just join the revolution/That'll take your brain to a higher plane/And help you deal in a world that's gone insane/With the problems that I know we can stop/From the ruler of the world and the man on top/But the years went by, and time was up/And the ruler of the world had ran out of luck"

The truth is, I had a good enough time with Groove. The performers were appealing -- I'm giving my crowns to Blow and E. -- and slightly in spite of myself, I laughed at The Fat Boys' antics. How can you not smile at Kool Rock-Ski spit-roasting the pig he's supposed to be dissecting? More character-based humor and situations would have helped the movie. So would additional performances. The likes of LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys show up for some quick rapping, never to be seen again. New Edition also makes a "special appearance," which felt like insurance for audiences/theaters wary of a rap movie.

Twenty years ago, SNL had a short-lived recurring sketch, "Rap Street." Horatio Sanz and Jerry Minor played old school artists who remembered when rap was about partying and singing nonsense words ("A-rip-rop-rippedy-roo!"). Obviously, things were never that innocent, but it occasionally feels that way in Groove's universe. It's a shame, because the talent was strong and if the execution and realism was there, you could have had a movie musical for a new era and not just a commodity-driven cheapie.

"There's gonna be no more handshaking around here. From now on, we gonna sign on the dotted line, you know what I'm saying?"

Recommended with reservations.

Thoughts:

-- "(The Fat Boys have blatantly fake IDs) Oh, you all just blew up overnight, huh?"

-- Box Office: Grossing $11 million on a $3 million budget, this opened at No. 2 and came in at No. 75 for 1985.

-- Critic's Corner: "Rap music is infinitely more original than (the plot's) creaky devices, and it deserves something better," Janet Maslin wrote. "Many of the concert scenes have been shot clumsily and edited in a way that sells the numbers short."

-- Awards Watch: "All You Can Eat," rapped by The Fat Boys as they eat their feelings and nearly bankrupt a Sbarro, was a Razzie nominee for Worst Original Song. It lost to "Peace in Our Life" from Rambo: First Blood Part II.

-- Memorable Music: The score is 43-41, still favoring pieces written for movies. In the original songs category, we have Blow's "If I Ruled the World" and E.'s "Holly Rock." In the non-original category, we have E.'s "A Love Bizarre," Run-D.M.C.'s "King of Rock" and "It's Like That" and The Fat Boys' "Don't You Dog Me" and title song. The movie's title song, on the other hand, didn't impress me.

-- Fanservice Junction: Underwood works out without a shirt while Russell's arguing with Kurtis.

-- Hey, It's 1985!: Danceteria once again makes a cameo. The movie that popularized it, Desperately Seeking Susan, can be seen on the Movieland marquee during "All You Can Eat."

-- Different Times: Rick casually saying he thinks the loan officer who rejected him and Russell is gay scores a 3 out of 10 on my panic meter.

-- Hey, It's ...!: Russell Simmons himself, plus LisaGay Hamilton, Coati Mundi, and in a blink and you'll miss him appearance, Chris Rock.

-- "Since we're here celebrating the success of the contest, and all our brothers getting back together, before they become too big, let's see if we can do it like in old days ..."

-- Next: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. On deck: To Live and Die in L.A., That Was Then... This Is Now. Coming soon: The Official Story, Once Bitten.