''Rich Girl'' is a 1991 American romantic drama film directed by Joel Bender and written from the screenplay of Robert Elliot. The film stars

Jill Schoelen Jill Marie Schoelen (born March 21, 1963) is an American former actress. She is best known for ''Chiller'' (1985), '' The Stepfather'' (1987), '' Cutting Class'' (1989), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1989), '' Popcorn'' (1991), '' Rich Girl'' (1 ...

in the title role, along with

Cherie Currie Cherie Ann Currie (born November 30, 1959) is an American singer, musician, actress and artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of The Runaways, a rock band from Los Angeles, in the mid-to-late 1970s. After The Runaways, she became a solo artist. ...

and

Paul Gleason Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as '' All My Children'' and films such as ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Di ...

in the supporting cast. The film centers around a wealthy girl from Bel-Air, who is tired of living off her wealthy family's name and decides to prove her independence from her overbearing father and obnoxious ex-fiancé by making her way in life by becoming a waitress at a nightclub and ends up falling in love with one of the club's

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musicians.

Plot

Courtney Wells is tired of being seen as just a rich man's daughter. She breaks up with her fiancé Jeffrey (her father's intern), quits college, and tells her father that she is going to prove that she can be independent. Her job applications meet with rejection. A secretary at one job interview suggests that Courtney apply to Rocco's, a nightclub. The owner of Roccos discovers that Courtney is the daughter of Marvin Wells and hires her as a management trainee. Rick, a musician playing at Rocco's, makes advances toward Courtney, and Rocco tells Rick to stay away from her. Courtney is attacked in the parking lot outside the nightclub by two men she had ejected. Rick fights them off. After Rick and Courtney become involved, Rick's singing partner Michelle quits. Rick convinces Courtney to take Michelle's place. Rocco warns Courtney against being involved with Rick, implying that her father will ruin Rick's career if she sings with him. Rick learns about Courtney's rich father and is upset with her. His own father, a homeless man, dies of a drug overdose. After the funeral, Rick tells Courtney he does not want to see her anymore. Jeffrey discovers where Courtney is working and shows up at Rocco's to harass her. He tries to force her to leave with him, but she refuses. When Marvin is unable to pressure Rick into staying away from Courtney, Jeffrey plants drugs on Rick's motorcycle, and Rick is arrested. Courtney pawns her bracelet to bail him out anonymously. Rick's band performs at a showcase at Rocco's, and the other band members convince Courtney to perform with them. Marvin and Jeffrey both show up at the showcase. Rick and Jeffrey fight, and Courtney argues with her father. Rick and Courtney leave together on Rick's motorcycle.

Release

Originally intended as a made-for-television film,

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

RCA home video picked up the project to make it a direct-to-video release but when Studio Three Films and Film West picked up the project, it managed to receive a limited release through select theaters nationwide. The film was on a budget of $785,000 budget, but grossed $368,056 in its first week and a total $561,000 from its time in theaters. The film was rated R and in the following months RCA Home Video released the film on VHS.

Reception

The film met mixed reviews with a great amount of negative reviews from movie critics, most famously from

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

Cast

as Courtney Wells *

Don Michael Paul Donald Michael Paul (born April 17, 1963) is an actor, director, writer, and producer. Biography He starred in the films '' Heart of Dixie'' and '' Rich Girl'' with Jill Schoelen and appeared in ''Aloha Summer''. He wrote the screenplay for ' ...

as Rick Asbury *

Sean Kanan Sean Kanan () Perelman; born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, producer, and author, best known for his portrayals of Mike Barnes (in ''The Karate Kid Part III'' and ''Cobra Kai''), A. J. Quartermaine (on ''General Hospital''), and Deacon ...

as Jefferey Banks *

as Marvin Wells *

Ron Karabatsos Ronald Christ Karabatsos (1933–2012) was an American character actor. Early life Karabatsos was born on April 22, 1933, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA, to Constantine and Antoinette Karabatsos, first-generation immigrants from Greece. The fam ...

as Rocco *

as Michelle * Willie Dixon as Himself * Melanie Tomlin as Diana * Trudi Forristal as Tracy *

Ann Gillespie Ann Gillespie is a retired American actress who became an Episcopal priest, and is currently the Senior Associate Rector at Church of Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia. She is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Jackie Taylor, mothe ...

as Carol *

Bentley Mitchum Bentley Mitchum (born February 22, 1967) is an American actor who has appeared in about 40 films and TV series, including Sundance grand jury prize winner ''Ruby in Paradise'', ''The Man in the Moon'', ''The Wonder Years'', ''Conviction'', '' Su ...

as Scott * Lex Lang as Dennis * Eddy Griffith as Mr. Asbury * Peter Cohl as Chopin *

Lance Carter Lance David Carter (born December 18, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher and current minor league pitching coach. He pitched in MLB with the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He batte ...

as Drummer * Gail Neely as Ethel * Ingrid Berg as Angela Carpoli *

Celebrity Skin ''Celebrity Skin'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released on September 8, 1998, in the United States on DGC Records and internationally on Geffen Records. It was the last album released by the band before the ...

as Themselves * Darling Cruel as Themselves * Precious Metal as Themselves * Linda Galloway as Businesswoman * Isabel Cooley as Counselor * Kirk Scott as Investment Banker * Frederick Flynn as Landlord * Alicia Lassiter as Blond Temptress * Irving William Moseley Jr. as The Minister * Daphne Cheung as Oriental Temptress * Chuck Courtney as Police Officer #1 * Christopher Doyle as Police Officer #2 * Mark Riccardi as Bar Tough #1 * Lincoln Simonds as Bar Tough #2 *

Larry Gelman Lawrence Sheldon Gelman (November 3, 1930 – June 7, 2021) was an American film and television character actor. He was known for playing Dr. Bernie Tupperman on the TV series ''The Bob Newhart Show'' and Vinnie, the poker playing friend of O ...

as Pawnbroker *

Cynthia Geary Cynthia Geary (born March 21, 1965) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelly Tambo on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Early life Encoura ...

as Sorority Girl #1 * Linda West as Sorority Girl #2 * Doyle McCurley as Prison Guard * Hans Howes as Police Sergeant * Kristine Seeley as Groupie

References

External links

* * *{{Mojo title, richgirl 1991 films 1991 romantic drama films American romantic drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films