Stephen Farber

“…. At first glance Rose (Bette Midler), a boozing, burned-out rock star, may seem to be a more aggressive firebrand than the wronged heroines of Back Street or Madame X. It's true that she talks dirty and pursues sex brazenly. But underneath her tough exterior, she's just a sad, lost, lonely girl looking for love.

“…. [Rose] does shoot up by herself in a moment of despair, but the melodramatic plotting shifts too much of the responsibility away from Rose. She's portrayed as a victim pure and simple, and although a lot of women who feel mistreated by men may identify with her plight, there's something uncomfortably masochistic and self-pitying about the fantasies that this film feeds.

“My own feeling is that this subtle whitewashing of Rose's character makes her considerably less interesting than the real Janis Joplin. Self-destructive performers seize the public's imagination because they take enormous risks and break taboos. If they destroy themselves in this fearless pursuit of danger, at least they burn with a certain majesty. But majesty is the one quality that Rose does not have: She's too pathetic to suggest the courage of the self-destructive artist.

“…. The performances are first rate…. And although Bette Midler is not yet a subtle or polished actress, she generates a raw power, especially when she's singing; her intensity singes the screen.

In terms of craftmanship The Rose is admittedly impressive. The only thing missing is substance. . . . [A]ll they've [the filmmakers] have succeeded in creating is a slick, shallow sudser--Stella Dallas for the freaked-out audiences of the eighties.

Stephen Farber
New West, what date? what date?