Light of Day

(I actually watched this movie several months ago but just found this review never posted )

    So I’m on this all-things-Joan-Jett-or-The-Runaways kick lately and so naturally I was drawn to Jett’s foray into acting with the movie Light of Day starring Gena Rowlands and Michael J. Fox. I really idolize Jett and love her beginning period back in the 70’s and 80’s and this film was from 1987 and therefore I was excited to see her off stage in a introspective role.



    The movie is written and directed by Paul Schrader, who also wrote Raging Bull, American Gigolo, and Taxi Driver. It follows the dysfunctional family life between the brother and sister duo of Fox and Jett and their mother, Rowlands. Jett plays a single mother who tries her best to raise her son while pursuing the rock n’ roll career she’s always dreamed of. Fox plays her devoted brother and adopted protector of Jett’s son. The movie follows the issues and tensions between the family.


    The plot was actually interesting and heartfelt. The characters were a little more complex than the average 80’s drama and each, especially Jett’s character, had an edge to them. The plot wasn’t extremely gritty and raw but it wasn’t sugar-coated and didn’t have the typical Hollywood ending which I enjoyed. I was also waiting for the plot to come out with a powerful message about parenting at the end, which thankfully it did not. It left it up the viewer to decide how they felt about Jett’s upbringing of her son.


    The movie had the typical 80’s cinematography of the era and was drowning with mullet haircuts left and right. Joan Jett sounded like Joan Jett when she was on stage in the movie and she looked like herself so the sound mixing aspect of the movie and stage scenes were awesome, in the opinion of a Jett fan. Interestingly, the movie was first slated to be the avenue for Bruce Springsteen to break into acting, which he later thankfully decided against so instead he wrote a song to go with the original title, ‘Born in the USA’. Obviously, he liked the song so much he kept it for himself and it became one of his biggest hits to date. So, he wrote another song and a new title was formed for the movie, ‘Light of Day’.


    Michael J. Fox plays his normal self although he’s a little less outgoing and charismatic in this movie than his normal upbeat self. Even with his mullet, he still played the part quite nicely. Gena Rowlands played a character we’ve all seen her play many times over, although at the time, this may have been one of the first. She of course plays the overbearing but loveable mother with ease. The real question comes down to how Joan Jett, bonafide rockstar, does with her first acting role. I really enjoyed watching her performance as this character was obviously written with her in mind. Nobody else would have been able to pull it off. She is always so genuine in everything she does, so it’s impossible for then same quality not to come through with her acting. She has an emotional hospital scene with her mother and pulls it off like a true actress.


    I enjoyed this movie even with the obvious 80’s-ness of the cinematography. It was entertaining and heartfelt at the same time. I would recommend to any Joan Jett fan who hasn’t already seen the movie, or even a Michael J. Fox fan, although he is somewhat subdued in the movie. Other than that, only if you like semi-cheesy 80’s movies, you should stay away. “Music is all that matters. One hour on stage makes up for the other 23” -- Light of Day.