Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) review

Reporters from the show Media Magazine, led by Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin), are working on a piece about a band from the 1960's called Eddie and the Cruisers and what happened to their lead singer (Michael Paré), who supposedly died in a car accident; elsewhere, surviving members of the group, including keyboardist Frank Ridgeway (Tom Berenger) and Eddie's former girlfriend Joann Carlino (Helen Schneider), have their places mysteriously broken into by an individual who may be searching for their missing second album.  It's a good thing the songs in this are fun and peppy because when someone isn't singing, it basically feels like a fragmented 95-minute eulogy - director Davidson (who co-wrote the screenplay, which is based on the novel by P. F. Kluge) has no idea how to tell the story or develop characters: by the end, Eddie (who could be alive ... or not) is still just a myth.  As with so many clunkers-with-potential, this has gained a cult audience over the years, but I agree with Barkin, who said in an interview with The AV Club she hated doing the movie, claimed everyone involved was on drugs and there was no sense of direction ... but it "paid the rent."