Genres

Visitors Review

A_Minor_Blip 2012-05-22 20:56:48

A Party Crashed

The Steely Dan title-song playing as a big orange sun rises above adusty city skyline anticipates heaven for rock fans and "no static atall". For the next twenty minutes, through a handing-off of variousturns at the mic - as we meet each disc jockey working at thelittle-guy radio station playing wall-to-wall music - the good timescontinue to roll. The cool, down-to-earth boss (Michael Brandon), alsoa DJ, fights to keep the airwaves commercial free, providing the dreamradio station "for the people".The neverending (airwave) tunes are great, the live performances prettygood, and the eclectic cast of disc jockeys are decent enough -including Martin Mull, Cleavon Little, Cassie Yates, Alex Karras andEileen Brennan - but the initial spontaneous fun (reminiscent of CARWASH) is soon marred by a story involving villainous corporate goonsforcing Army commercials on the station, turning a laidbackcharacter-study into typical underdog vs big business fare... and guesswho wins?

pt8685 2012-05-22 09:13:59

Skip the movie, buy the soundtrack

Bottom line: FM was a mediocre movie with a great soundtrack. I enjoyedall of the concert footage in the film (mostly Linda Ronstadt and JimmyBuffet), but the comedy wasn't good, and the story was just plainawful.You've probably already read the synopsis so I'll spare you thedetails. The setting and situation were ripe for big laughs, but theynever came. In fact, WKRP (which was being created at the same time asthe movie FM) made much better comedy from virtually the same rawmaterial.As for the premise, I found it patently hypocritical that FM stationemployees would be so offended at the idea of commercializing theirstation with ads, when that's in fact exactly what they do for aliving. Radio exists because it sells records and concerts. It is bynature a commercial enterprise. DJs are the basically used car salesmenof the recording industry.Now I don't think there's anything wrong with this arrangement. Infact, I think it's a great deal for the radio audience; we get tosample the songs, and even fall in love with them before we decide tobuy the recording.But the holier-than-thou attitude displayed in this movie is verydisappointing. At one point in the film, Tom Petty (whom I love) isbrought into the booth to be interviewed by the DJ while they playtracks from his latest album, "Damn the Torpedoes." Meanwhile, thestation manager is trying his hardest to prevent commercials fromairing on "his" radio station.I wanted to shout, "Hey, dude! There's a commercial for Tom Petty'salbum playing on your station right now! Hello! Kids are going to pay$10 for the record and Tom's going to get $1. The rest goes to somegiant recording industry mega-corp." Basically, the screenwriters wrotethe DJ's as self-indulgent children, the station manager as aself-centered prick, and the owners as pure evil assholes. This made ithard for me to root for anyone.The movie would have been sharper if the screenwriters had made thestation manager more reasonable to contrast with the owners. Instead ofobjecting to all advertising, for example, the manager could have toldthe owners he was willing to do 20% more ads at 10% higher rates. Thenhave the owners shoot back at him with something like "you'll do it ourway or you're out on your ass." Then I would have rooted for thestation manager a lot more.Of course, I would have forgiven any flaws in the premise if the moviehad just been funnier.By the way, if you want to read a contemporary review, there still oneavailable at the NY Times website written by veteran critic Jane Maslin(http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=16493).

2012-05-15 18:34:49

A Must Have For Ronstadt Fans!

As a fan of Linda Ronstadt, I consider this film to be a "must have" simply for the extensive concert footage of her music from the 1970's. The film is harmless fun itself, and the music is memorable for those of us who were teenagers in the 70's.

stephie1175 2012-05-15 16:47:42

No Static at All

This movie, and its soundtrack is the history of late 70's classic rock101. Taylor, Walsh, Steely Dan, Rondstat. They are all there. Andbehind the music portrayed a Los Angles radio station with a band ofmisfits, and its eccentric station manager who wanted to run thestation with a college style and no commercials. Martin Mull in hismovie debut takes the cheese with his portrayal of Eric Swan, anegotistical babe magnet with the heart of 10 year old child. The movieeven shows some excellent concert footage from Linda Rondstat, andJimmy Buffett.This movie has been playing a lot on the Sundance Channel because thisreally was an indie movie. The movie did look a little low budget. Ittook a while for the VHS to come out, and now it is on DVD. This istruly one of my favorite movies of all time.

2012-05-09 02:23:03

Great Radio Biz Comedy!

"FM" is a fun, light-weight, movie comedy for anyone who has an interest in radio or late '70s rock n'roll in general. The film has arguably been regarded by it's fans as the template or inspiration for the classic CBS TV sitcom, "WKRP in Cincinnati".This episodic movie takes place in late 1970's L.A. at the offices and studios of Q-Sky, the #1 radio station in the area. It's hilariously, presided over by manager, Jeff Dugan (a likable Michael Brandon),who's main job seems to be keeping in line, the crazy DJs and other personnel, who make up the station's looney, staff.These folks are constantly getting themselves into trouble both on and off the air. They include Mother (Eileen Brennan) a burned out hippie, who wants to chuck it all, Eric Swann (Martin Mull)a pompas idiot, who will do anything to further his career, The Prince (Cleavon Little), the hip black dude of the bunch and finally Doc (Alex Karras), a suicidal cowboy. The main plot centers on how Jeff and the gang fight to keep the evil account executive and the station owner from oversaturating the station's airwaves with wall to wall ads for the U.S. Army.Yes, the plotline is sort of silly and dated.But put on your average FM station today and you'll find that the movie's premise has pretty much come true.The air waves are mostly ads with a little bit of music squeezed in. Highlights of this film include excellent,live '70s era, in-concert appearances by music artists, Linda Ronstadt ("Tumbling Dice" "Poor Pitiful Me") and Jimmy Buffett ("Livingston Saturday Night"). If you are a fan of either of these performers then you will relish this concert footage. Also look for a brief cameo from rocker, Tom Petty.Finally listen for the film's great classic rock soundtrack which includes '70s staples such as Steely Dan, Bob Seger, Boston, Billy Joel, the Doobie Brothers and much more.For an evening of light-hearted comedy I highly recommend "FM".

moonspinner55 2012-05-08 11:43:34

Static on the radio...

Torpid comedy about radio disc-jockeys banding together to prevent thehostile takeover of their station by corporate suits is a would-befree-for-all, mired in a rabble-rousing rut. The trouble with theseplots, where the good guys are goofy rebels and the bad guys are smarmyjerks in ties, is that the screenwriters have to give us something togo on in the way of character development--and most don't have theenergy. "FM" is all a contrivance; we're automatically supposed to becharmed by the hard-working DJ's and hiss the big business bullies. Ididn't particularly find the wacky DJ's charming, and the live concertswith Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt and Jimmy Buffett are nothing specialeither (they have nothing to do with the story anyway). The film mightappeal to fans of the TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" (which may havebeen inspired by this mess), but others should find comfort in adifferent station. * from ****

papamac630 2012-05-05 20:58:47

Find it, watch it, and enjoy....

As someone who works in "the business", I did notice that FM has itsshare of inaccuracies and things that don't quite work...big whoop...donot let those deter you from enjoying a movie that has been underratedand under-appreciated...with a cast that works well together and akiller soundtrack, FM tracks the musings of a station in LA that takesits music and its audience seriously...without commercialinterruption...Michael Brandon is superb as the hero, Jeff Dugan...Martin Mull is great as an over-the-top DJ, Eric Swan...Eileen Brennanas Mother, the late Cleavon Little as the Prince of Darkness, andCassie Yates as Laura Coe make up an air staff that I would love towork with...the bad guys are Albert Driscoll, a company exec whodoesn't understand anything beyond the bottom line, Regis Lamar, a"flunky" salesman who is doing what he's being told- even though hetries to understand what the radio people are doing, and Michael JCarlyle, a greasy radio exec not unlike a few in radio...and allthrough the movie, the fact that it is fun to work in radio is veryevident...one note...Alex Karras as the Cowboy is a little bit ofmiscasting...not sure why he was put in there other than his characterwas in the book...but overall the quality and flow is excellent...and,as its catchphrase goes, "no static at all"...for those of you who arehistorians of radio, you will love the dual mikes they use atQSKY...brings back the memories...you're probably going to have to findthe movie online somewhere, since it's unusual to locate it in a rentalstore, but it is a nice addition to a library...and try to find a brandnew copy...WITH the poster!

Buck Aroo 2012-05-05 13:00:04

Tongue-in-cheek...Needle on the groove.

This is one of those movies which I've seen at least a dozen times, but itnever seems to outstay it's welcome or bore me. F.M. to me, accuratelydepicts the internal situations and wrangles of a radio station - calledQ-SKY in this instance - during the late 1970s, in a tongue-in-cheek way. Icertainly can remember one station in England, which employed DJs usingfauxpersonalities like the Prince. The cast is well chosen, featuring somemainstays of film and television of that era. Especially good is MichaelBrandon as the maverick new station boss, who's almost late for his firstday at work. Along with other members of the cast like Cassie Yates, JamesKeach, Martin Mull, and the late Cleavon Little as The Prince, it's quiteclear that they are all performing with their tongues firmly lodged intotheir collective cheeks.The soundtrack is very impressive, and I'm someone who doesn't really likerock. Linda Rondstadt (not my cup of tea) appears at one funny point in thefilm, in which the station 'illegally' broadcasts her in concert. But bestof all is the music played in the background, which includes artists likeMichael MacDonald, The Doobie Brothers, and Fleetwood Mac. Steely Dan'stitle track also helps to set up the pace and tone of thefilm.Ultimately however, the idyllic atmosphere of the station is about tochange, as some of the DJ's become dissillusioned with what they are doing,and interference from the station owner and managers causes all theemployees to stage a revolt. This has been done countless times before inother films as someone else has mentioned, but hey, the movie didn'tpretendto have a message, or be thought provoking from the beginninganyway.I believe that F.M. 'inspired' a long running US TV sitcom called 'WKRP inCincinatti'

oakwoodmac 2012-05-05 08:57:52

Think of FM as a time capsule.

Absolutely void of any semblance to a comedy, FM fails to deliver anythingmore than than the soundtrack offers. A weak plot, a pathetic climax, andcardboard characters force this career-killing turkey of a movie to thediscount rack. To enjoy this movie, just think of it as a time capsule.Linda Ronstadt was thin and at her peak. Tom Petty was just breaking outwith Breakdown. REO Speedwagon had yet to be accused of High Infidelity.There is a certain novelty in viewing a snapshot of 1978 with endlessshelves of vinyl albums and tape cartridges. The FM soundtrack was andstill is one of the best 70's pop/rock compilation albums. Due to legalbickering between record labels, the soundtrack has only recently made itsway to compact disc. Save your money by renting the movie and buying thesoundtrack, preferably on vinyl.

2012-05-05 02:02:55

A movie about a era of radio now long gone

This movie is not a masterpiece by a long shot, but it is a movie that encapsulates a golden era of music and radio that is long gone.The overall story is about a fictitious radio station in Los Angeles facing a battle with the station owners over what advertising will be broadcast on the radio, namely the new advertising spots by the US Army that would help the station owners to increase profits.Watching this film, it is interesting to see how insignificant the conflict with the corporate machine is in this movie than if the same movie were made in the modern day. The owners of the FM radio station in Los Angeles we are told, own 10 radio stations across the country. Today, it would not be uncommon for a communications corporate giant to own 10 radio stations in each city, thereby creating a monopoly and eliminating any dissent whatsoever. Disc jockeys running late to spin the records, and disc jockeys who couldn't get the tape machine to play their sponsors' advertisements without technical difficulties could easily be eliminated today with computer software automation. What little automation a radio station did not have could easily be eliminated if those who spun the records chose to go on strike, as did those at the end of this movie. The station's broadcasting location could easily be switched to another location by a simple click of a computer mouse, until the conflict was removed.Corporate commentary aside, this movie is a great period piece to watch -- Disc Jockey's with larger than life egos, a radio station that likes to give the listeners what they want to hear, including free live concert broadcasts featuring Linda Ronstadt, and live broadcasts of disc jockeys from the local record store. The DVD has the movie preview for this film, and at the end of it, is shown the FM soundtrack double album. I have heard this album, and it is one of the best soundtrack albums ever made for a movie -- where the film is average in quality, the music album is far superior to the film. This movie is not big on telling a story, but it is big on the music.

inspectors71 2012-04-27 16:15:01

White Nipples

If you really believe a radio station can survive without runningcommercials, then you'll be rooting for the hippie-dippy crew in FM, animperfectly awful yet entertaining slice of late '70's rock radionostalgia. The music is wonderful, the characters are over-the-topgroovy, funky cuteness incarnate, and Martin Mull, as I remember, isovertaken with lust as he nails a gal with some interestingpigmentation issues in the control room.It's all so much silly, military-industrial complex-bashing nonsensewith Michael Brandon running a purist, anti-profit rock station in LA,fending off corporate bigwigs, Army sponsors, and a rival station thathas . . . SOLD OUT! You get the feel for what's in store here from the start, with Brandonracing to work on the deserted streets of Los Angeles (think about thatone, folks) and Steely Dan's FM being left on by the night DJ. FM isvery fast-paced, written for dunderheads who remember the 1970'sthrough dope-fogged glasses, and as inconsequential as the pop-cultureof that time period. It's full of lovers of pure music, cartoon-likebaddies, and cameos by Jimmy Buffett, REO Speedwagon, and a dazzlingLinda Ronstadt, who belts out "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me" at asimulcast-concert (making the speakers on your TV cry out in ecstasy).FM is ridiculous twaddle, but it's my decade . . . and that's why Irecommend it.

2012-04-27 03:40:47

No Static At All....Unless You Want This On DVD, That Is..

Based on the rivalry between Los Angeles radio stations KMET and KLOS, this movie is the perfect representation of life at a radio station in the late 70's, and a must-have if you're the least bit into radio. It also has one of the best soundtracks around.That being said, have the sellers of this flick lost their everlovin' minds!?! A hundred sixty-six bucks for a movie I found in the five dollar bin at Wal-Mart!?! A DVD with practically no extras whatsoever!?! I'm as big a fan of this movie as you're likely to find, but give me a freakin' break! The only thing you vultures are doing is driving folks to the bootleggers!Somebody please tell me it's a glitch and that decimal point is supposed to be one spot to the left.

rbremer 2012-04-22 02:16:37

Not exactly Oscar material, but...

...it wasn't really supposed to be. This movie was released to tap intothe flavor of the pop music of the late seventies, and to joyouslythrow the finger at the corporate bad guys who dare to try and make aprofit off of something as supposedly "pure" as "The Music".I have to laugh when I see this movie, but only partly because of whatit is. Sure, there are quite a few amusing moments, but I have to laughmainly because of who I was when I first saw it. I was a teenagerebel-without-a-clue type who thought how cool it would be to sitbehind the mike, play great music, and have people listen to what Isaid. Talk about a rush! As it turns out, this movie inspired me as a 15 year old to get intothe radio business. The week after I saw it, I marched right down to alocal AM daytime-only station in my home town, and badgered them intogiving me a job. And, for the past 25+ years, I've been the guy behindthe mike, playing the music. I've even owned a couple of stationsmyself along the way, and I've made a pretty good living in radiomarkets of all sizes.As you can imagine, my perceptions of Jeff Dugan and his devoted crewhave changed somewhat over the years...and now, to me, what they'rerailing about in this movie as the "evils of commercialism" just aren'tall that "evil" after all. Commercials put food on the table and allowthe station to keep the lights on. Sure, the music should be free, butsomeone still has to pay to operate the transmitter. Life'stough...wear a cup and get over it.In this country, we've made a conscious decision that the cost of"free" radio will be supported by advertising...but Jeff Dugan and hiscrew seem to conveniently forget that fact. That's where the moviecomes off the tracks for me these days. In 1978, I didn't really knowhow the business side of things worked yet, but I quickly learned. Noone who's spent more than a couple of days in a professional radiostation could possibly escape that fact.The movie is full of little mistakes that lead me to believe thatperhaps the screenwriters really didn't know too much about radio. Thecall letters "Q-SKY", for example, would never be assigned to a radiostation in the US for a couple of solid reasons. The station'spurported frequency of 71.1MHz is far below the FM band in the US,which is 88.1MHz to 108.1MHz. And chuckle at the fact that someonedecided that you would need to use TWO microphones for a "stereo voice"broadcast! But these little mistakes are not the point at all.This movie is exactly what it's supposed to be...a loud-and-clear"eff-you" to authority figures in cheap suits, all backed up by thebest AOR and pop music of the day. The plot is weak, the details arefuzzy...but who cares? If you want to see an Oscar winner, this isn'tyour cup of chowder. If you want to be transported back to a time whenthe worst problem you had was over-commercialization on your favoriteradio station, then sit back and enjoy.I just wish that, as good as this soundtrack was, they'd re-releasethis film on DVD. The mediocre sound on even the best VHS tape playersdoes not do this music justice. And it's all about the music, right?

2012-04-21 07:13:12

FM the movie about a radiostation

This review is from: FM (DVD) Wonderful movie about a rock orrientated radiostation in the 70's.Gues apearences from Tom Petty and Linda Ronstadt.Must have for radio 70's music freaks.

2012-04-20 11:31:29

Fun! Features many of the late 70's top rock acts...

The film is a lot of fun, but the best thing is the music. Linda Ronstadt and Jimmy Buffett make concert appearances, and Tom Petty has a cameo. Also features music from Eagles, Steely Dan, Queen and others. If you miss AOR you'll appreciate 'FM'.

paveway 2012-04-19 19:39:32

music great, story been done before

The storyline of FM is nothing new. It's very much in the 'lets do the showright here, we can change the world if we stick together' mould. What makesthis a special film is the superb mix of images and music. If you like LindaRondstadt and Steeleye Dan, you will, at least, give this movie the thumbsup.

ecrocker 2012-04-19 12:00:41

This is a must see movie

I have not seen this movie in many years but it shows how relevant itall is. Look at the state of radio today. It is no longer about themusic then it is about the money. Maybe that is why satellite radio istaking off. Satellite radio is taking us back to the days when themusic was the power. What more can I say. This movie hits home. I forone am glad there is Sirius Satellite Radio out there. Don't get suckedin to HD. It will go away just like Quadrophonic did in the early 70's.The movie also goes back to a time when the cost of seeing a liveconcert was well under $10. The acting in this movie is superb. Themusic takes me back to a better place.

2012-04-19 04:23:57

Great movie

I love radio movies and this is one of the best, unfortunatly this will probobly never be on DVD becouse of its great soundtrack. If you like classic rock & 70's type humor this one is well worth a look.

2012-04-16 07:23:13

Groovin'

As most folks know, FM served as the inspiration for the later, greater television series WKRP IN CINCINNATI. Almost all the characters here have a counterpoint on the show and even look alike in some cases (the resemblance between Michael Brandon and Gary Sandy, for instance, is remarkable). On its own FM is a serviceable little vehicle to showcase some truly wonderful pop-rock tunes from the mid to late 1970's, including Steely Dan's glorious title song. The plot is perfunctory at best: a maverick radio DJ and programming director (Brandon) refuses to give into corporate pressure to air jingoistic ads for the military on his station; by the end of the picture he and his co-horts have barricaded themselves in the station to protest and incite a minor riot.The plot is just an excuse for some very good concert footage featuring Jimmy Buffet and, especially, Linda Ronstadt. Tom Petty and Reo Speedwagon also make appearances. There are also some good character vignettes here too. While Brandon is rather non-descript in his leading role, Martin Mull stands out as Eric Swann, a flashy, hip, slick tune-spinner who shows some surprising vulnerability, and Eileen Brennan has a nice moment too as a burnt out DJ pondering her future, as Dan Fogelberg's lovely song "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler" swells behind her.I like the look of the movie very much. Famed cinematographer John A. Alonzo, making his directorial debut, gives the movie the nice, sunny, green-and-caramel hues of the late 1970's without ever making it seem dated. But it is the soundtrack that makes this one worthwhile. The movie adds up to little more than light and breezy amusement and is strictly for the nostalgically inclined.

JodyP 2012-04-15 18:02:15

For the Times

For the people growing up and listening to great music in that era, this movie hits a home run. Also great soundtrack, great live music and an average to above average script. Whatch it in the spirit of the time it is set in.ENJOY