Paul Snider is a narcissistic, small time hustler who fancies himself a ladies man. His life changes when he meets Dorothy Stratten working behind the counter of a Dairy Queen. Dorothy is a pretty but naive high school senior. Paul immediately falls for Dorothy, who sees in Paul a wise, worldly person unlike herself. Paul believes Dorothy is Playboy material, the magazine he sees as only a springboard to bigger and better things. Paul’s dream does become a reality: not only does Dorothy eventually marry him, she becomes the August 1979 Playboy Playmate and ultimately Playboy Playmate of 1979, which does indeed lead to the start of an acting career. As Dorothy’s star rises, Paul’s life is one of a hanger-on as those in Dorothy’s new circle, including Playboy publisher Hugh M. Hefner and movie director Aram Nicholas, don’t much like Paul. Paul is unable to eke out a life of his own without using Dorothy’s name, which she increasingly is reluctant to provide to her husband. Those that know the couple know their relationship cannot continue as is, and it’s only a matter of how it will change or end is the question. – IMDb
Director and choreographer Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was born on June 23rd, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the youngest of six children born to an Irish mother and a Norwegian father.
Dancing from a young age, Fosse eventually teamed up with another young dancer by the name of Charles Grass. They began collaborating under a joint name, The Riff Brothers, and performed in a number of theaters around Chicago.
Before long Fosse was noted for his talents and was hired for a show called Tough Situation. Slightly larger than his Riff Brothers act, Tough Situation toured a number of military and naval bases abroad in the Pacific, which essentially served as his tour of duty for his nation. Fosse commented later that he perfected his techniques as performer, choreographer and director while on this tour.
After Tough Situation ended Fosse moved to Hollywood, looking to be the next Fred Astaire (a fellow dancer and choreographer). He achieved success relatively quickly… read more
Fosse takes what most half-assed directors would churn into a made-for-TV movie (and I think one did with this story before) and creates a very fascinating study of a man's obsession and his insecurities regarding the object of his dwindling affections, and that object's emotions regarding her objectification, all with a fine balance of style and psychological exploration.
Streamed this on netflix this morning. Pretty excellent. I'd wanted to see it since Tom Green brought it up to Eric Roberts on his internet TV show a few years back. I found some fault with the cutting. It seemed to disregard Roberts' incredible performance. Otherwise awesome. Some exceptional crazy-acting by Roberts in this one.
A much-maligned film whose genius lies in how sick it can make you feel. Eric Roberts is stupendously good.
One generation remembers his Oscar-winning role in Charly, another his 70s-era work (Obsession) and another his Uncle Parker.
