The critical reception to this movie is a classic example of bandwagoning. Everyone (including the previous reviewer) mistakenly believes it was thrown together after the crappy hit of the same name, which is absolutely not true.Conn is excellent, Joe Silver is top-notch as her father, and much of the dialogue is genuine and funny. This movie is thoughtfully understated (90% of it at least) in a way that more than makes up for a little bit of bad acting in the supporting cast and too much sentimentality in its waning moments. Really, there is just one thing that taints it horribly. I don't think this is a spoiler, but watch out for that last scene. She actually says "you know, I learned something today..." I'm not sure how Brooks wrote all the good stuff before that and somehow couldn't help but ladle on the molasses in the closing seconds, but to me it's not sufficiently cloying to taint the whole product.Mostly, the story is just one of a sweet, honest and talented woman trying to find her show-biz sea legs on a ship full of (male, LA) phonies.It's kinda like how Heaven's Gate is the worst movie ever made, unless you actually watch it (the version before the studio butchered it, that is). One well-publicized critical panning of a film can sometimes spark a rabble. People go into it already convinced, and just can't wait to start laughing at it. And thus the prophecy is fulfilled; "WORST MOVIE EVER!"This movie is GOOD, which apparently makes everyone else stupid except for me. I'm okay with that, I think.

I didn't want to like this movie but was drawn in by its goofy charm. It's a veritable treasure trove of 70's cars, clothes, hair, coffee mugs, interior decor, you name it. The dotted swiss maxidresses in the waffle ad alone are pure concentrated midcentury goodness. Despite the brouhaha about the movie's titular song, my favorite one was actually "Do You Have A Piano," which is short, endearing and peppy with great harmonies. Too bad they didn't use it for the opening credits instead of the momentum-draining "California Daydreams".Didi Conn is fine in the role of the young Hollywood hopeful, and easy to like with her wide-eyed fresh faced earnestness, though I think that Melanie Mayron, who plays her bff Annie Gerard, delivers a more subtle and natural performance than Conn, who has a broader, more musical theater or sitcom style. The girl's conflicts with her father are certainly valid, but why would anyone think that the same few 20-year-old jokes could be funny in a comedy act, or that ventriloquism isn't annoying enough in itself? I did like the scene after her onstage meltdown when she says she just learned something very painful but important- that you can only really depend on yourself, and that it's no shame to be alone, in fact it's a necessary part of growing up. (I'm still struggling with that one myself!) Odd that the title song, which plays at the end as she embarks on her new life has the exact opposite meaning: "You give me strength to carry on" ...right after she realizes that strength must come from within. The production values are what I think really crippled this movie. You can barely hear the actors' voices in crowd scenes, actors are inexplicably shot in profile while speaking, so you can't see their faces, Conn looks oddly hunchbacked in her driving scenes, and the exposition before the credits has the amaterurish feeling of a student project. I can see why audiences were disappointed after the huge media blitz it received. You would be, if you expected a high budget blockbuster instead of a slightly awkward little coming of age story with a few catchy pop songs. Too bad the producers didn't have enough faith in the movie to let it stand on its own, but that's Hollywood. Ironic that a running theme in this pic is the misguided fakeness of ad campaigns.Still, I found it to be an enjoyable 2 hr time capsule with decent performances, a plucky underdog lead character and a touching scene or two. I liked Conn's faint Brooklyn accent and the natural prettiness of the actresses at a time when young women were allowed to look like actual human beings on film and not perfect little plastic dolls. I'll take awkward but earnest over slick and shallow anytime!

Here is a coming-of-age film that embodies everything 70's. It especially appeals to me because I was born in 1960 & was a teenager in the 1970's. If a teen watches this film today it would seem hokey, the cloths especially odd & unattractive, the music sappy, & the storyline threadbare. But if you were there, it has a special nostalgic quality that is undeniable. This is an interesting story about a young woman finding herself & her way through life. Instead of padding the story out with too many unnecessary shots of Conn driving her car, they should have fleshed out the characters a little more. The storyline was also choppy. One minute she's told she has a major part in a film & the next minute a deadpan blonde is hired instead. This sudden shift in the story is too abrupt a transition. Also, when she tells her dad about the offer from Columbia Records to record her songs, it came out of left field. (Perhaps this should have been something her character struggled with. Should she stay in California & contemplate making the film & starting a new a relationship, or go to New York & record?) DiDi Conn is very likable in the lead & the music adds just the right romantic touch.

This is of course the film version of Debby Boone's hit song and it comes across as a rather uninspired effort but two of the actors in it make it a watchable flawed film. Story is about an aspiring singer/songwriter and actress who makes ends meet by being a stand-up comedian mainly for children. Didi Conn is Laurie Robinson and even she admits that she's not very good at comedy but her father Sy (Joe Silver) has other ideas about her career. Laurie is days away from being married to Ken (Stephen Nathan) but one night in a restaurant she meets Chris (Michael Zaslow) who is instantly attracted to her. He takes her to his home and they get intimate. The next morning she tells him it was just a one night stand and doesn't want to see him again and she leaves. A few days later she goes in for an audition because a film crew needs an actress to dub in the stars singing voice. She walks in and finds out that the director of the film is Chris! She auditions with her song (You Light Up My Life) and everyone is very impressed. In fact, they want her to be the star of the film! A few days later Laurie thinks she is in love with Chris and she decides to tell Ken that she doesn't want to get married. But then the roof falls in and she discovers that she has not been cast in the film and she goes to confront Chris who is busy with other females! The main story and script are very familiar and corny and the film really has nothing to offer that we haven't seen already in other films. Aspiring singer that has to tell her father that she needs to go on her own and telling her boyfriend that she really doesn't love him. Its been done before but this is not a bad film and its because of Conn and Silver. I've always been a fan of Silver and his work with David Cronenberg springs to mind immediately. The core of the film is the performance of Didi Conn who always brings a fresh realistic quality to her roles. She's the girl that you instantly take a shine to. She has that innocent and vulnerable quality that makes you root for her no matter what film she's in. Its a very natural quality but she's also a very good actress and her scenes with Silver are the best in the film. These two genuinely care for each other and its reflected on screen. One thing I noticed during the film were the scenes of Conn driving that old car. I'm not sure if Conn can drive in real life but she looks kind of uncomfortable sitting behind the wheel. And of course the scenes of Conn singing are lip-synched. The singing voice bares no resemblance to Conn's voice at all. And Conn and Silver worked on another film together that same year. They both did voices in the animated "Raggedy Ann & Andy" so they had a busy year together. This is not a very good film but Conn brings an undeniable charm to every performance she gives.