The David Cassidy Story
If I had to name one thing I don't like (regarding DC), this tv film from 2000 would be in top 3.
Of course I know that it was just a typical tv biopic not an artistic cinema, but if that character was DC..
David Cassidy and The Partridge Family were very popular in the 90s again. There were reruns of the show, 'I Think I Love You' was covered, and also used in an oudstanding, famous commercial.
Millions of people heard what Hugh Grant told Andie McDowell on 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. So it wasn't a big surprise that documentaries were made about David and his iconic show, e.g. 'David Cassidy - The Teenage Dream'. There were also two tv movies.
The first one called 'Come On, Get Happy : The Partridge Family Story', was aired on November 13th, 1999, on ABC.
Eve Gordon played Shirley, Rodney Scott - David, Cathy Wagner - Susan, and Shawn Pyfrom - Danny. The story is told from the Danny's viewpoint, and was actually narrated by Bonaduce himself. In the film some real events were included, e.g. that famous David's and Danny's ride on TPF bus through the streets of Hollywood.
The film got mixed reviews:
Roy Richmond:'The film is fatuous and cynical, no one gets happy. Heroes grow from spoiled to miserable to desperately self-absorbed. To believe Bonaduce, the worst thing that can happen to a youngster is to land a role in a hit tv series.(..) Jones is portrayed as a wooden motherly figure, Cassidy is played as a whiny jerk who is constantly bitching about having to play with his real-life stepmother and a bunch of little kids.' (Variety, Nov11, 1999)
When David Cassidy heard that NBC was planning a biopic on him, he decided that he would'd have liked to have some influence on the project. He was very busy in LV, with The Rat Pack Is Back, and a new, very demanding project he was preparing, but he became an executive producer of the upcoming film.
He suggested his friend Malcolm McDowell as Jack Cassidy and he rerecorded the old TPF's hits.
It was an amazing, fantastic experience, because it was made at the original recording studio (Western Two at Capital Records) with the same great musicians, who 30 years ago had worked with that talented kid, David Cassidy. When Hal Blaine, the legendary drummer was asked what it was like being back together, he said ; 'Oh, it's just liked it used to be, except we have to nap a lot now.' (David Cassidy : Could It Be Forever?, 2007). Here we can listen to one of those new -old hits, and watch the final scene from the film, together on stage - 49 year old DC and 28 year old Andrew Kavovit who played David..
Andrew Kavovit was born in 1971, at the time he was a quite known tv actor, even had an Emmy Award. What can I say..he was a nice looking man, he had long hair, he was taller than DC and much more muscular, but he looked like a very unhappy teddy bear and first of all he had no sex appeal, not at all. He also admitted that before the film he knew nothing about DC or his music. He couldn't sing or play. After that role his career collapsed, his last film credit is from 2007.
The film wasn't good. Or even worse, I really can't watch it. And I'm not saying about the basic facts. 21st DC's birthday in 1973..it's not a problem for me..but really, I just can't believe that this very sad, unhappy figure was real David Cassidy. Sure, I know he had difficult relationship with his father, he was unhappy being a teen idol, he had nervous breakdown and he lost his money, I've seen pics where DC was tired, or where he was smiling but his eyes were so sad..I know..But nothing in life is just black or white. And DC had his share of fun and laugh.
Some reviews :
'..most of the time he (DC) comes off like the sweetest doe-eyed dearie, a young man perpetually poised to help old ladies cross the street. The film is a mess-sloppily scripted, shot and slapped together. The key component is voyeurism, we love to see'em (idols) rise , we love to see'em fall, and we love to see'em crawl out of the sewer again. David Cassidy's life hasn't been particulary traumatic or dramatic. His major problem appears to have been that his daddy was a louse, and a louse who didn't love him. Cassidy's real life step-brother Shaun is never mentioned. That seems odd (Tom Shales , The Washington Post)
'..film looks cheesy, the writing and performances slapdash, it's emotionally uninvolving and it obviously was made on a cheap. But don't miss it. As a work of sheer ego, it must be seen to be believed..'(Eric Mink, Jan6, 2000)
Enough..I hope one day we will see a good film about David Cassidy.
Written by Doreen Walker
ReplyDeleteI said i would let you have my comments on this film, as you say in the blog David was very busy in Las Vegas at the time this was made and i think that he didn't give this as much attendtion as it really needed as there are so many inconsistancies, as like you i cannot watch this for long as it doesn't relate, as much as it should, to what we know of David. i only watched the first 20 mins, i couldn't watch anymore and there were so much that did not relate to David's life, the facts were there, but how they shown in this film was wrong, Sue met David in 1973 at Wembley, not a recording studio, yes she was on the same record label as David and that was why she was at Wembley. They way Jack told David of the divorce from Evelyn is totally wrong, but you know all this Like you i don't think Andrew Kavovit looks much like David, has not sex appeal. To be honest i get the impression that NBC was trying to do this one the cheap, that is that it didn't cost them much money to make. I agree the best bit is the end with David in it. I believe a much better film could be made with abit more about David's childhood and before the Partridge Family and be a little more accurate with the White City concert, that's another bit that is wrong it said on screen it was his farewell concert, in fact as you know it was the one before last., it was probably done that way for better effect. As you can see from this i really do think this could have been done a whole lot better and if David had been able to spend a little more time on it, it may well have been done correctly. it would be great if a new one could be done of David's whole life, even the difficult bits at the end. I hope that it will be done sometime and done properly with the family involved.
Thanks Doreen. Maybe it's also a general problem with such biopics on pop icons, they perpetuate stereotypes, eg MM was blond, famous and unhappy, DC- a teen idol who had difficult relationship with his father , there are no place for facts in such stories.
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