''One-Trick Pony'' is a 1980 feature film written by and starring Paul Simon and directed by Robert M. Young. It also stars

Blair Brown Bonnie Blair Brown (born April 23, 1946) is an American theater, film and television actress. She has had a number of high-profile roles, including in the play '' Copenhagen'' on Broadway, the leading actress in the films ''Altered States'' ...

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...

, Joan Hackett, Mare Winningham, Michael Pearlman,

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades ...

, and Allen Garfield (credited under his birth name, Allen Goorwitz). The song " Late in the Evening," from the film's soundtrack, hit number 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, while the title song peaked at number 40. After years of being available only on videocassette and laserdisc, ''One-Trick Pony'' was released by Warner Bros. on DVD in 2009.

Synopsis

Paul Simon plays Jonah Levin, a once-popular folk-rock musician who has not had a hit in ten years, and now opens for bands like

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

(Levin's bandmates are played by musicians Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Tony Levin, and Richard Tee, all of whom similarly backed Simon on ''One-Trick Ponys soundtrack album). He is trying to record a new album, but faces a number of obstacles, including an indifferent record-company executive (Rip Torn) who is pressuring him to create a hit record with the help of a trendy producer (

). Jonah is also trying to restore his relationship with his estranged wife, Marion (Blair Brown), and young son, Matty (Michael Pearlman).

Production

The title derives from a colloquial American expression meaning a person specializing in only one area, having only one talent, or of limited ability. The film is not considered autobiographical, though the story makes use some of Simon's experiences in the music business. There has been some disagreement on the story's underpinning. Biographer Laura Jackson felt that the film may have been based on experiences in Simon's professional and personal life, though

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as '' Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has ...

in a ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' review saw similarities with Simon's personality, but not with his life and career. However, the character of Walter Fox, the record company executive portrayed by Rip Torn, is regarded as reflecting some of Simon's experiences in moving away from CBS Records, his former label, in the 1970s. (Simon went to Warner Bros. Records at the time of the film's release. The label, at the time owned by the film's distributor, acquired the masters of Simon's CBS catalog that same year.) The film featured one of the last appearances of the original members of The Lovin' Spoonful, in a simulated TV show appearance. The Paul Simon album ''One-Trick Pony'' was released concurrently with the movie. All of the songs on the album are featured in the film, though some are presented with a slightly different mix, e.g., "Jonah" features a harmonica solo (probably by Toots Thielemans) that is missing from the album version. The film also features "Soft Parachutes," Jonah Levin's sole hit as a recording artist, which is included as a bonus track on the album's 2004 reissue.

Cast

Actors

* Paul Simon as Jonah Levin *

as Marion Levin *

as Walter Fox * Joan Hackett as Lonnie Fox * Allen Garfield as Cal van Damp * Mare Winningham as Modeena Dandridge * Michael Pearlman as Matty Levin *

as Steve Kunelian * Steve Gadd as Danny Duggin * Eric Gale as Lee-Andrew Parker * Tony Levin as John Dibatista * Richard Tee as Clarence Franklin * Harry Shearer as Bernie Wepner * Daniel Stern as Hare Krishna

Musicians

* Sam & Dave * The Lovin' Spoonful * Tiny Tim *

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

* David Sanborn

Reception

Reviews for the film were mixed. Writing in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', critic

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

called the movie "an odd mixture of inordinately graceful touches and sweeping, clumsy ones". Stephen Holden in ''

'' called it "a morose little art film". However, critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

praised the film as "a wonderful movie, an affectionate character study with a lot of good music in it". The film was commercially unsuccessful, grossing less than $900,000 despite a budget of $8 million.

External links

* *

References

{{Paul Simon 1980 films 1980 drama films American drama films American rock music films Films directed by Robert M. Young Films set in Cleveland Films shot in Cleveland Paul Simon Warner Bros. films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films