One Trick Pony

Director: Robert M. Young Robert M. Young

Overview

The struggle of a has-been singer to work his way back up the charts is the focus of this drama by Robert M. Young with screenplay and music by Paul Simon. Simon plays Jonah, a once-popular singer who now opens for punk rock bands. In the ten years since he had a hit song, Jonah's wife has divorced him, but he still sees his young son as often as he can. With his record company on his back to come up with something that sells, Jonah begins to compromise his own talent when he listens to the advice of a trendy producer. Whether or not he can straighten out his personal life and steer his own ship may depend on his ability to trust his own judgment and adjust to the changing times.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/23/2009
UPC:	0883316126226
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	33,171

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Paul Simon	Jonah
Blair Brown	Marion
Rip Torn	Walter Fox
Joan Hackett	Lonnie Fox
Allen Garfield	Cal Van Damp
Mare Winningham	Modeena Dandridge
Michael Pearlman	Matty Levin
Lou Reed	Steve Kunelian
Steve Gadd	Danny Duggin
Eric Gale	Lee-Andrew Parker
Tony Levin	John DiBatista
Richard Tee	Clarence Franklin
Harry Shearer	Bernie Wepner
Daniel Stern	Hare Krishna
Lisa Carlson	Groupie
Sam & Dave	Actor
Sameen Tarighati	Groupie
Joe Smith	Narrator,Narrator at Convention
Noel L. Silverman	Lawyer
The B-52's	Actor
Jordan Cael	Lee Perry
Susan Forristal	Cal's Girl Friend
Ann Karell	Moto Inn Clerk
Kate Pierson	Member of the B-52's
Freda Scott	Chambermaid
John Sebastian	Member of the Lovin' Spoonful
Tiny Tim	Himself
Michael J. Miller	Acappella Singer
Glenn Scarpelli	Acappella Singer
Merv Griffin	Acappella Singer
Richard Dolan	Acappella Singer
Carol Levy	Receptionist
Patti Austin	Back-up Singer
David Sandorn	Saxophone Soloist

Technical Credits

Michael Hausman	Producer
Michael Tannen	Producer
Robert M. Young	Director

Editorial Reviews

If first-time screenwriter Paul Simon hasn't insisted upon casting first-time leading man Paul Simon in the film One Trick Pony, the results would have probably been a bit more impressive, but as it is the movie is an under-appreciated look at the music industry and one man's struggle to keep his life together, both as a husband and an artist. Simon isn't exactly bad as Jonah, a one-hit wonder whose current music bears previous little resemblance to "Soft Parachutes," a folk-rock antiwar number that charted in the late '60s, but Simon simply lacks the charisma or emotional range to carry the film on his shoulders, which up to a point is what the script (and Robert M. Young's direction) demands of him; he's fine in low-key moments, or when he interacts with his band (played by fellow real-life musicians Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Tony Levin, and Richard Tee), but when the narrative demands a real performance from Simon, it's clear he doesn't have what it takes. His script, however, is an often witty and incisive look at the casually sleazy world of the music business, not to mention a plausible scenario at how Simon's career might have gone if he'd never been able to follow up "The Sound of Silence." And the film's supporting cast often picks up the slack for Simon, including Rip Torn as a phony-hipster record company executive, Allen Goorwitz as an egocentric radio programmer, and Lou Reed as an especially slimy record producer (and for better or worse, both Simon and Reed have been in the business long enough to understand the character all too well). The always charming Blair Brown gives her all as Jonah's wife Marion, but sadly her leading man isn't at the same level she is in bringing their crumbling relationship to life, though she gets high marks for effort. And Robert M. Young obviously understands that this is a music film where the characters really are more important than the music, and ultimately it's the people who make this film interesting, even if the material deserved a more seasoned actor in the lead.

All Movie Guide - Mark Deming