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At Any Cost

2000, Movie, R, 92 mins

At Any Cost: Review

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VH1's intention to produce contemporary dramas for the MTV generation is laudable enough, but recycling show biz cliches from the early talkie era doesn't really seem the way to go. The rock 'n' roll group GRAVITY signs with the hip Psychotrope label, but their future may not survive the drug addiction of lead guitarist Mike (James Franco). While Mike's brother and fellow band member, Lance (Eddie Mills), leads a fairly stable married life with wife Chelsea (Maureen Flannigan), who's also the group's lead singer, Mike can't kick his habit and settle down. And that's not Gravity's only problem. Manager Ben (Glenn Quinn), who presents himself as Mike and Lance's loving boyhood pal, is actually using the band to foster his own agenda. Ben regards Mike as a liability and actually encourages his heroin abuse, which proves instrumental in Mike's eventually death from an overdose. With Mike out of the way, Ben coasts on Gravity's success, pursuing a heavy metal band while failing to promote Gravity's pivotal debut CD. When Chelsea chooses to retire and raise her son at home, Lance goes on the road and succumbs to infidelity, jeopardizing his marriage. As Ben launches his own company, the floundering members of Gravity attract the attention of renowned record producer Dennis Berg (Gene Simmons), who offers the group a fresh start. Busy promoting his own label, Ben counters by plotting the release of a rehashed Gravity CD to fulfill his contract requirements to Warner Brothers. Fed up with Ben's chicanery, Lance discusses the pattern of betrayal with Ben's disillusioned girlfriend Rebecca (Cyia Batten), and learns that Ben was with Mike when he died! Revenge on his mind, Lance heads to Ben's mansion for a showdown. Simultaneously melodramatic and zonked-out, this torpid production features TV soap opera-quality acting in the service of backstage musical cliches. Ben's dirty tricks notwithstanding, it's hard to work up any enthusiasm about this "inside look" at grabbing the brass ring in today's music business. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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