The leading man, Rick Springfield did a good job with the lousy script he had to work with, but the casting could not have been worse for the leading lady. The actress (Janet Elliber) was ugly as dirt and looked about 15 years older than Rick, and there was nothing likable about her. She was supposed to be a mental health professional, yet she was extremely unbalanced and seemed to have a number of personality disorders. Patti Hansen gave a good performance as the jealous ex girl-friend, but her role wasn't developed enough to improve the film as a whole. Also, this movie came out before the PG-13 rating came along, so the editing is extremely choppy in places since the producers were trying to avoid an R rating. I think it definitely could have been better, and there are a few good scenes, particularly when Rick's character Jamie is performing on stage. Most of the music on the soundtrack was written and performed by Rick himself, and some of the songs like "Love Somebody" and "Don't Walk Away" are really memorable.

Rick Springfield enjoyed a great run in the early 1980s, what with a starring role on the top-rated TV soap opera "General Hospital" and big radio hits such as "Jessie's Girl" and "Don't Talk to Strangers". Unfortunately for Springfield, his break in the movies came after much of the hype had already quieted down. His 1983 album "Living in Oz" was a commercial disappointment, and when the cinematic "Hard to Hold" appeared a year later it seemed like yesterday's news. The plot has something to do with a grown-up pop star behaving like a teenager around a sexy, teasing, but reluctant female (she's no fan, which causes me to wonder why the women in these movies who play hard-to-get always get the hero's attention?). Larry Peerce directed, and it's his most innocuous assignment since his early years in television directing "The Green Hornet". Actually, "Hornet" was more sophisticated than "Hard to Hold". Springfield bares his 'assets' and plays to stadium crowds, but in reality he had already lost his magic touch. NO STARS from ****

James Roberts (Rick Springfield) is the lead singer of a successful band. The band also has his ex-girlfriend Nicki (Patti Hansen) who has a nasty disposition and temper. Roberts than meets cute Diana Lawson (Janet Eilber) in a car accident...and immediately falls in love. Naturally she doesn't know who he is...or care. Totally predictable complications ensure.

Caught this drivel in a movie theatre way back in 1984. Springfield was big with teenage girls back then and the theatre was packed with them. More than half walked out before the movie was half over! It's truly that bad! The script is moronic and painfully obvious--all the characters act like idiots. Also the acting wavers. Hansen and Eilber are actually pretty good but Springfield....OK--he tries. He REALLY tries and it gets embarrassing to watch. He just can't act but, back then, he was a very attractive man so at least he was fun to look at.

The movie does have its bright moments--Springfield bares his butt two or three times (within PG boundaries) and I DO like the soundtrack. At that time the song "Love Somebody" was a monster hit and it's played twice in the movie. Also the concert sequences work very well. But the sappy love story and bad acting by Springfield do make this a chore to watch sometimes. I can honestly only give it a 3. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen but it's definitely down there. And--really--teenage fans of his walked out on this!