[5]
Writer/director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Hardcore) casts Michael J. Fox and singer Joan Jett as siblings who juggle blue collar jobs, family problems, and musical ambitions in Cleveland, Ohio. Fox’s character is inclined to give up on their band, The Barbusters, to work an honest job and help take care of Jett’s young son, but Jett is content to push family aside and give herself completely over to rock and roll. Fox plays mediator between Jett and their religious mother (Gena Rowlands), who doesn’t approve of her daughter’s lifestyle. When mom is diagnosed with cancer, everyone is forced to reexamine their priorities.
Light of Day features perhaps one of Michael J. Fox’s best performances. His character’s dynamics with the sister and mother characters are the engines that drive the film. Jett turns in a solid performance, and Rowlands is commanding as usual, especially — as you can imagine — in her death bed scene with Jett. The script does a good job illuminating what its like to live a soul-crushing existence in pursuit of one’s dreams. But the script is predictable and doesn’t make Jett’s character very sympathetic or relatable. There’s one secret that gets revealed near the climax that sheds some light on her issues, but it doesn’t quite justify the massive chip on her shoulder through the rest of the story.
This is also one hell of a depressing movie. It needs more love and hope to counterbalance the constant anxiety and despair. This may simply be too much to ask from Paul Schrader, whose career is built on gloom and doom. The musical interludes, featuring covers of Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and other popular artists, never stop the film’s momentum, but they also don’t convey the sense of joy and elation that they probably should. Overall, Light of Day is a mixed bag, but worth a look for fans of Fox, Jett, or Rowlands.
With Michael McKean as a member of the band and Jason Miller (The Exorcist) as Fox and Jett’s tired but well-meaning father.