Groupies: The Movie (2001)

The other side of the coin

The first time I saw this film was in 1971, and the second time I saw it was last Friday night. I think I appreciated it more this time; in 1971 I was a lot younger, and didn't have the advantage of 35+ years more of experience. The "60s" were still going on, and none of us were thinking about ever looking back at any of this.

Most of us, of course, never got any closer to the real world of the rock subculture than to perhaps get lucky and get to be close to the stage at a concert. We listened to the records and smoked lots of dope, but, when you get right down to it, we were wannabes who didn't have whatever it takes to really live that life.

This film is about wannabes who wanted harder than most of us: those (mostly) girls who thought that if they got close enough to their idols, some of that glory and charisma would somehow rub off on them. Perhaps some of it did rub off, in a weird sort of way.

It seems to me that this movie breaks down into basically three parts: first, there's some stuff about these girls in New York (I think it was New York, anyway), Spooky Tooth and Luther Grosvenor. Then there's some time spent with gay groupies in San Francisco, involving Terry Reid and his band, and finally, after that, we get some discussion of plaster casting and then get to listen to a plaster casting, with the camera averted. I have to say that I was unwholesomely chortling all the way through this film, which was made for exploitation purposes; I'm certain that the people who made this never even remotely considered it as a document for posterity.

The value of the movie, in my opinion, comes from the film's historical quality. If you want to see the best of the best, the ideal at its peak, and the finest moment of the counterculture, watch the Woodstock documentary. But as good as that movie is, it doesn't show the whole picture. I think this film _Groupies_ gives the viewer a better picture of the whole scene at that time: a picture of second- or third-tier musicians playing at second-rate venues, of groupies chasing these guys because the real stars, such as Led Zeppelin, are too hard to get close to, and, of course,these people being filmed by third-rate filmmakers looking to make a quick buck from shock value. There's a pervasive atmosphere of the pathetic about this film... A lot more time, in that time, was spent like this, than was spent in major peak moments such as the Woodstock rock festival.

There are a couple of decent musical moments in the film: a clip of Joe Cocker (who otherwise is not in the movie -- he must have been one of those who were "real hard to get to"), as well as Alvin Lee of Ten Years After giving his best testosterone-fueled performance of "I Wanna Ball You All Night Long." The rest of the music, in my opinion, is fairly forgettable.

I give this movie three stars, because of its historical value as a primary document. If this review was only about the actual quality of the film, it would have to be one star, or maybe a touch better than that, because it really isn't a very good show. But it gives the viewer a glimpse of how things were in those days, and that redeems much. July 2, 2008

Almost famous

This cinema verite documentary from 1970 attempts to capture the zietgiest of late-60's rock'n'roll groupiedom, with mixed results. Filmed during the transition when idealistic Peace Love and Dope hippiedom was morphing into the more seedy and decadent excesses that would define the 70's music scene, you may feel like taking a shower after a viewing. Not as involving or professionaly crafted as the Maysles brothers or D.A. Pennebaker offerings from the era ("Gimme Shelter", "Monterey Pop"), the film suffers from sloppy editing and inferior audio mastering (it is difficult to understand what the stoned-out-of-thier-mind groupies are prattling on about most of the time, not that the majority of them have anything very enlightening to say!). It's too bad the filmmakers didn't spend more time with the two most "famous" groupies of the era, Pamela Des Barres (aka "Miss Pamela") and Cynthia "Plaster Caster" (At least they display some personality and the ability to communicate an amusing anecdote or two) Most of the film time is devoted to an assortment of needy, parasitic wannabes listlessly killing time backstage, clamoring to be acknowleged. The film holds more interest as a musical document, with largely intact performances from the little seen (and underappreciated) Terry Reid, as well as Ten Years After and Joe Cocker And The Grease Band. The great Spooky Tooth is seen in snippets-featuring a very young and somewhat dopey Luther Grosvenor, who I am sure winces now when he watches it (especially during a less-than-flattering discussion of his, er, "shortcomings" by a couple of giggling groupies comparing notes). The 2006 DVD release has no extras or commentary, and it appears no effort was made to restore picture or sound. Worthwhile to hardcore 70's rock fans for historical value, if nothing else. October 2, 2006

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