Eddie and the Cruisers

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Eddie and the Cruisers

PG

1983

1h 32m

Musical

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

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16 Reviews

73%

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10,000+ Ratings

Eddie and the Cruisers, a major rock 'n' roll band in the early '60s, fell off the radar when singer Eddie (Michael Paré) vanished after a dispute over their experimental second album. Nearly 20 years later, journalist Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin) tracks down the old Cruisers to see if she can unravel the secret of Eddie's disappearance. By piecing together the band members' stories, she hopes to find the missing master tapes to the lost LP, and also solve the mystery of Eddie's ultimate fate.

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Linda Deutsch

Associated Press

03/04/2019

At the height of his fame, Eddie Wilson died in a car crash. Or did he? The question, raised in the opening scenes, gives this fictional, nostalgic movie a quirky appeal, suggesting the past may not be dead after all.

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

04/23/2015

3/5

Aside from Eddie And The Cruisers' funky structure, the music remains its chief selling point-though Cafferty's songs don't plausibly pass for early 1960s tunes.

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Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

Eddie and the Cruisers is a mish-mash of a film, combining elements of the ongoing nostalgia for rock music of previous decades with an unworkable and laughable mystery plotline.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 18

1.5/4

The film's mystery angle regarding the missing tapes is ludicrous, thus making it right at home alongside every other half-witted development in this cheesy undertaking.

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

Oct 5

C+

Review of a disk containing Eddie and the Cruisers I and II: The music (created by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band) provides good support in both films. There is an uncanny convergence of the stories of the fictional movie band and the real one.

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Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

06/28/2016

2/5

Dated, rock-themed '80s tale has suicide, drugs, profanity.

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Alexander G

@agregory Jul 3

Good concept but bad execution. The music of this Eddie Cochran-Bruce Springsteen hybrid couldn't have possibly have been made in the early 60s; even if you accept that he was “ahead of his time”, they still could have at least tried to EQ the recordings to make it sound period accurate. The main premise could have been fleshed out more and the conclusion could have been more satisfactory.

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Rick W.

@Rick24wag May 20

The wiring writing and acting is really awful. The story makes no sense. The music is good but that’s about it. It’s also very boring. You can do a lot better

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Trevor G.

@tlgor1 May 1

A great musical mystery with an awesome soundtrack.

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Patrick M.

@JoseyWhales Apr 26

Classic HBO afternoon movie and worth revisiting 30 years later.

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Christian K

@ckacar Apr 23

Wow wow wow, Martin Davidson I was not familiar at all with your game. This has a great script and a few of the best framed shots I can remember.

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Δ Σ Τ

@Baldylocks Apr 18

Absolute garbage. I was a junior in high school when it came out and for whatever reason (let’s call it morbid curiosity) I waited until I was 58 to watch the damn thing. Horrible plot. Performances are solid but there’s so many saxophone solos, Tom Berenger can’t figure out he’s supposed to bang Ellen whatsherass. Oy vey this is just a painfully bad movie. Embarrassing.

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Martin Davidson

Director

Tom Berenger

Frank Ridgeway

Michael Paré

Eddie Wilson

Ellen Barkin

Eddie Wilson

Joe Pantoliano

Doc Robbins

Matthew Laurance

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Synopsis

Eddie and the Cruisers, a major rock 'n' roll band in the early '60s, fell off the radar when singer Eddie (Michael Paré) vanished after a dispute over their experimental second album. Nearly 20 years later, journalist Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin) tracks down the old Cruisers to see if she can unravel the secret of Eddie's disappearance. By piecing together the band members' stories, she hopes to find the missing master tapes to the lost LP, and also solve the mystery of Eddie's ultimate fate.

Director: Martin Davidson
Producer: Joseph Brooks, Robert K. Lifton
Screenwriter: Arlene Davidson, Martin Davidson
Distributor: Embassy Pictures
Production Co: Aurora
Rating: PG
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 1983, Original
Release Date (DVD): Sep 4, 2001
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Surround