Prey for Rock & Roll

Gershon has the look: tight leather pants, the bi-colored hair, and tough tattoos covering her arms and torso. She's got the sex appeal. She has the voice. Gershon had a gig on Broadway as Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" is going on tour with her own band. Most of all, Gershon has the attitude. In one fantastic scene, she rocks the screen simply by pacing in her bathroom, doing private kung and talking to herself fu after getting the call that could be her big break.

Gershon narrates "Prey For Rock & Roll" and she also took co-produced the film. Her terrific performance breathes life into what, unfortunately, turns out to be an over-the-top melodrama. The Soprano's Drea De Matteo plays bass player Tracy, a trust fund girl who falls fast down the slope of drug and alcohol addiction. Lori Petty is Faith, a likeable Ellen Degeneres look-alike who lives for her guitar, and her girlfriend, the band's bad-ass drummer Sally.

Twenty-three year old Sally (newcomer Shelley Cole) will break your heart: she has a little girl face, round cheeks, short bangs, skinny arms, and a passion for the drums. More bad things happen to her then should ever happen to any supporting character in a 104 minute film about rock 'n roll.

Truth be told, more bad things happen to these four women than one independent film can possibly carry. Based on rocker Cheri Lovedog's autobiographical rock musical, the unfortunate screenplay takes a compelling scenario and fine female characters and heaps on tragedy after tragedy. Yes, terrible things certainly do happen to women, and the feminist anthem "Every Six Minutes" Jacki performs with her band is stirring. But after numerous harrowing events and revelations personal, two punk kids steal Faith's guitar. Faith chases them into a busy street, and the screen fades to black. It's too much. It’s past too much. The film has taken us into the land of positively silly. The band survives, but it's touch and go for the audience.

I recommend "Prey For Rock & Roll" anyway for the privilege of watching Gina Gershon. Did I forget to mention that she goes hot and heavy with a sexy black woman and stokes the fire of a muscular, tattooed, ex-con who goes by the name Animal?