Hard to Hold (1984)

Hard to Hold: Directed by Larry Peerce. With Rick Springfield, Janet Eilber, Patti Hansen, Albert Salmi. A famous rock star falls in love with a child psychologist who has ears only for the classics, and has never heard of him.

“Jamie Roberts (Rick Springfield) is a pop music superstar. He gives concerts, gyrates across the stage, and the crowd, mostly women, swoons. But, this gets old after awhile and he has been feeling somewhat restless. Borrowing a car after a show, Jamie gets into a minor traffic accident with a pretty schoolteacher, Diana (Janet Eilber) and he likes what he sees. However, she doesnu0026#39;t care if he is the richest man out there, she likes Tony Bennett and sane lifestyles. Nevertheless, when Jamie shows up below her apartment building in San Francisco and has a Tony-lookalike serenade her, she canu0026#39;t help but invite the good-looking singer into her apartment for an evening. Yet, she doesnu0026#39;t see any future between the two of them and tries to resist the start of any relationship. But, Jamie is relentless and they begin to go out as a couple. Can a teacher of troubled children who scorns u0026quot;top 40u0026quot; music really be a good match for a rock star? All right, I know, this film is the definitive guilty pleasure, for its strengths are mainly the looks and voice of one Rick Springfield. He has a smile that melts hearts and his goofy yet sincere portrayal of a rock star goes a long way to making the film attractive to a mostly female audience. Eilber is pretty and competent as the love interest and the supporting cast is quite nice as well. As for the setting in San Francisco, it is gorgeous, the costumes are nice, and the production values are strong. Yes, the plot is somewhat silly and unbelievable but the direction keeps the story going. The soundtrack, too, will either be very appealing or dismissive, depending on whether you are a fan of Springfieldu0026#39;s. In short, if you adore little Ricky but you have never seen this film, get it soon. Toes will curl and chests will sigh over the Aussie singeru0026#39;s rare movie appearance.”