This is NOT a Janis Joplin movie. However the character of Rose is clearly influenced by Joplin and her life, in her later years becoming known as "Pearl" by her fans. She didn't have many "later years", she died of a heroin overdose, possibly exacerbated by alcohol, when she was only 27. Bette Midler is Mary Rose Foster, known simply as "Rose." She is a very undisciplined person, one boyfriend made the remark "Your life is like a grenade range." She has no boundaries, neither for herself or for how she relates to others. Her hair, her cheap jewelry, her glasses all remind us of Joplin. Like Joplin she is a talented singer, lives a hard life, and dies young, but in a different circumstance. This was one of Midler's earlier roles, some years before Beaches (1988) and Stella (1990), but in all these movies she is just great. Many may believe that because she is primarily a singer that she is only adequate as an actress, but she puts everything into her roles and always excels.Just a word about her singing in "The Rose". It is important to realize she was singing in a raspy voice and style created for the character. The only song where she is using her normal Bette Midler voice is the closing song, after her death: Some say love, it is a river ... That drowns the tender reed... Some say love, it is a razor ... That leaves your soul to bleed ... Some say love, it is a hunger ... An endless aching need... I say love, it is a flower ... And you its only seed.Terrific movie.

I finally got to see "The Rose" (1979) last night. It's a sad tale of a Janis Joplin-like rock star, Mary Rose Foster (Bette Midler), who desperately wants to take a break from the rock 'n' roll train, but her manager (Alan Bates) won't let her due to business obligations.It's not all sad though. The film plays-out like a docudrama with quite a bit of lively concert footage. If you like this style of rock (guitar/horns/etc.) you'll like the movie more than I did. The Rose falls for a limo driver (Fredric Forrest) and they have some misadventures, mostly at bars and other places of the night, like a drag queen show. The plot culminates in The Rose' "coming home" gig at her hometown in Florida.Bette is passionate in the role, but I was never a fan. Nor do I dislike her; I'm neutral. The role calls for a lot of hysteria because that's the rock star lifestyle, at least it was in that era, 1970. As such, the film's really over-the-top. If you can't stomach a lot of hysterical scenes I'd suggest staying away.I prefer 1991's "The Doors", which has the same theme, but is about a real individual, Jim Morrison, and contains more recognizable (better) music.BOTTOM LINE: Unless you like Bette Midler and the style of music, this movie won't likely trip your trigger. It's the story of a rock star who needs a break but can't get it, so she goes totally out of control. It's "sex, drugs and Rock 'n' roll," but it's mostly alcohol and rock 'n' roll -- music, alcohol, bars, music, alcohol, bars, repeat to the end. That's the movie. I'm skipping something, but I don't want to give it away; it should be obvious anyway.GRADE: C+

Bette's starring debut and she owns this film. She is tough, tender, heartrending, difficult, pragmatic, wounded and loaded with talent. You can't take your eyes off her and she holds the focus of the picture with ease. A wise decision was made to cast the great Alan Bates as her manager, when they go toe to toe forget about it, they tear up the screen. Frederic Forrest is equally strong as the man who is passing through Rose's chaotic life. The problem area comes in the script which is a cliché of all the star bios that have come before. A very thinly disguised retelling of the Janis Joplin story it never really digs deep into what caused her inner turmoil but Bette makes up for any shortcomings with enough emotional force to propel several movies.

I'm at a loss to explain the success of this movie. It's not that it was awful, but I didn't see anything that special about it. Maybe there was something groundbreaking in 1979 that I'm missing, having not seen it then.Short form, I feel like all I saw was Bette Midler alternately crying and screaming. This may well be what such people go through, and to her credit, Midler cries and screams with the best of them, but I'm exhausted, and not in a cathartic way. I'm exhausted from trying to find some reason to care about this character, who never seems to be empathetic, and never seems to make any good decisions. To make matters worse, I've watched the film on This TV, which pads movies with extra commercials, so I've had three hours of crying and screaming.If this truly was Janis Joplin's life, if there was never a happy moment for her to just relax and enjoy, then I feel for the poor child.