But its not well realized at all! There's something unrelentingly smarmy and cheesy about this movie. The scene where Eddie and the band first meet Word Man in the bowling alley(with the 30-40 something Tom Berenger apparently supposed to be playing a teenager), they strike wannabe cool poses and Eddie says "Hey kid, tell your boss the Cruisers are here", "The Cruisers?", "Yeah....Eddie and the Cruisers". Whoa! Look out world! That scene had me dying of laughter. The music is the biggest bringdown of this film. The 1980's where notorious for not making period piece films look legitimate. I mean, I had no idea Dirty Dancing was set in the 1960's for the longest time because of Jennifer Grey's haircut and the godawful synthed-out "I Had the Time of My Life" song. The same goes for Eddie and the Cruisers. Eddie is so passionate about his music in his dialogue you tend to forget that its really crappy 80's wannabe Bruce Springsteen ballads. There's no way in hell music like that would exist-or be enjoyed- in 1960's, which was a time of actually good rock n' roll like the Who, the Stooges and Jimi Hendrix.

I bet someone could do a makeover of this flick nowadays and do the clever plot justice.

Since there are plenty of reviews, I will keep this short. Eddie and the Cruisers were about to break out from there rock and roll mold, with a second album reminiscent of the Doors. The "Powers That Be", holding the purse strings don't like the new album and crush Eddie's dream of being the best. Eddie crashes his car into a body of water, never to be found. Nearly 20 years later the music of Eddie and the Cruisers takes on a second life, with one of the band members still rocking at the Holiday Inn. The missing tapes of the second album are the quest throughout the picture, as is the question - Is Eddie still alive?

This is unquestionably, one of the finest rock and roll films (especially from the 1980's). This movie will appeal to the once 20 plus year age crowd of the 80's era, but may not be so well received by the masses today. The movie utilizes flashbacks throughout the film to portray the life of the band, with the music well done. I disagree with Amazon, and found the Beaver Brown Band to be very good. So what, if in parts they sound like Springsteen - must be the Springsteen Sax sound (Clarence Clemons)

The transfer to DVD is good. There is the occasional blip on the screen (does not detract from the film), from age, and lack of digital remake/upgrade. The soundtrack is in stereo (sorry no 5.1 remix), but the music sounds great. I turned on my 6.1 DTS decoder and was very pleased.

Overall, I would recommend this movie and will watch again. This is a definite purchase.

"Eddie and the Cruisers," the 1983 Martin Davidson film takes place in early '80s New Jersey where school teacher Frank "The Wordman" Ridgeway meets a reporter, Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin) who wants to do a story on the "mystery" of the 1960s rock 'n roll band Eddie and the Cruisers. The hook? Eddie Wilson (Michael Pare) was believed to have died after his car drove off a bridge on March 15, 1964 only his body was never foundm and the next day someone took the master tape of a Cruisers album. Could it be Eddie?

We need to write to MGM to push for a special edition "Eddie and the Cruisers" DVD. Here's the address I found:

METRO GOLDWYN MAYER PICTURES
2450 BROADWAY, SANTA MONICA, CA 90404
Phone: (310) 449-3000

On the back of the DVD it reads: 2500 Broadway, not 2450. But I imagine it's the same location and company.

I wrote a message to MGM. To MGM we should submit the following:

To Whom It May Concern:

I love the movie "Eddie and the Cruisers." I think there should be a 25th Anniversary Special Edition DVD released by MGM in 2008.

There should be a "Making Of" documentary with commentary by director Martin Davidson and producer Arlene Davidson. The documentary should have interviews from the actors: Tom Berenger, Michael Pare, Joe Panoliano, Matthew Laurance, Helen Schnider, David Wilson, Michael "Tunes" Antunes and Ellen Barkin. The band members who recorded the soundtrack like John Cafferty, Michael Antunes, Gary Gramolini, Bobby Cotoia, Pat Lupo, Kenny Jo Silva and music director Kenny Vance should comment along with TV spots and trailers.

Please give the movie the five-star treatment it deserves. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

(undersigned)
[...]
I hope this helps...now, everyone get writing and calling...every little bit helps. Let's urge them to give the movie the treatment it deserves with a special edition DVD of the greatest rock 'n roll movie ever: Eddie & The Cruisers!

Ok, I'm confused here. Can someone tell me why The critics flopped these movies and the general public loved them? I think the original was the better of the two in content and acting but the second one still rocked. Michael Pare' is Eddie and I don't think anyone else could ever play the role and get away with it. A LOT of people are still hoping for an Eddie III. They couldn't be all that bad if the fans want more.

Many of us who bought Eddie and The Cruisers would buy "Eddie Lives". The music was fantastic and the overall acting and story line was better. Don't leave us hanging....