Eddie And The Cruisers Ii: Eddie Lives

Jean-Claude Lord directs this delayed sequel to Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), in which the supposedly dead rock star hero (Michael Pare) proves to be living incognito in Montreal, and gradually essays a comeback under a different name while record-company executives continue to exploit his legend. Eddie seems an utterly boring conventional rock musician, projecting the kind of purist artistic scruples that would seem excessive even if he were Igor Stravinsky. The film gamely tries to have it otherwise by enlisting Bo Diddley, Larry King, and Merrill Shindler (among others) for cameos and having all the major characters assert that Eddie is a driven genius, but it won’t wash: the character is ornery enough, but his music sounds thoroughly unexceptional. With Marina Orsini, Bernie Coulson, and Matthew Laurance. (JR)

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