Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

quizzyroy 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.

doubleplusgd 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!

caspian1978 When we ask ourselves, what came first, the chicken or the egg, we look at the other question, what came first, this movie or it's hit song? Didi Conn is a good actress but far from an great actress. More like a field goal kicker, Didi can not run the ball into the end zone for a touch down. She is not a star player. Then again, she is worth a good three points and can add her talent to the (team) cast. For a lead actress, she does not have it. Although this is a movie focused on independent women, Didi can only do so much. The movie shows the 3 men in her life and how all three want something from her as oppose to offering something to her. For her "lip" singing, this adds nothing to her quality of acting. If Didi co-starred in this movie, she would have been nominated for an academy award. Instead, the only thing this movie is remembered for is the academy award for the best song. Nothing more.

SanDiego Soap-opera style story about one girl (Didi Conn) pushed into show business (stand-up comedy) by her stand-up comic father and trying to make it into show-biz (acting, singing, anything). There is romance and the title song 'You Light Up My Life.' The song is a major plot device much like Bette Midler's 'Wings Beneath My Wings' is for BEACHES. Debbie Boone's rendition of the song was second only to Bing Crosby's White Christmas as the most popular single in history due in part to listeners attaching a spiritual tone to the lyrics (led by Christian radio stations and the fact that Debbie Boone was part of the Pat Boone family). Debbie Boone was singing the song on every talk and variety show on TV, she was very attractive, very wholesome (once again, Pat Boone's daughter) and TV loved her. This helped bring people into the theaters to see the movie, in fact, was the only reason why people went to see the movie. Debbie Boone was not in the film, nor was her voice. This was very disappointing to most people. Didi Conn (mostly known at the time for wacky characters on TV sitcoms not unlike her GREASE character) didn't sing the song in the film (though she sort of sang in GREASE). If only they had cast Debbie Boone. The song is a classic, the film, alas, is not. WHITE CHRISTMAS (song: 10, movie: 10), BEACHES (song: 10, movie: 7), GREASE (song: 8, movie: 9), YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (song: 10, movie: 4).