The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

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Jeff M Nostalgia is a powerful force of nature, and perhaps only a child of the 80s who spent his formative years glued to HBO can fully appreciate and accept the unbridled praise I heap upon this movie. Watching it again for the the first time in years, I found a lump in my throat upon the opening strains of the titular song, which admittedly has little if any connection to the actual story here. It doesn't matter. I still find this a marvelously entertaining and unsung little movie that holds up to my memories of a pre-teen in front of the TV. As an adult I can now appreciate the palpable chemistry between McNichol and Quaid, who totally convince as siblings. One tends to forget what a marvelous little actress McNichol was at this time, and she is the highlight of the film, providing a majority of the laughter and the tears. Neither of the leads are spellbinding singers, but the songs here are extraordinarily catchy and memorable, seemingly written to highlight their strengths. McNichol's poignant "I Need You Strong for Me" is a standout and fits into the storyline beautifully. Character actor Don Stroud is a menacing antagonist, and a post-STAR WARS Hamill is appealing despite a questionable Southern accent. But it's the believable rapport between McNichol and Quaid that makes this so special for me. Again, someone watching this for the first time may not only question its appeal but find it rather cloying and hackneyed. But I hope I'm not the only one out there who is enraptured by its small-scale charm and earnestness. It's not an awards-worthy endeavor by any means, but it continues to hold a very special - and yes, NOSTALGIC - place in my heart. And to this day, I'm still trying to figure out how Quaid managed to get those abs! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Mike P This movie is really bad. The most unforgivable part of this movie is that it takes the classic 1972 southern gothic hit song; and drops a whole bunch of completely different lyrics in there...and a completely unrelated story! The original story was about a man getting railroaded by the system because of an affair; and a sister getting revenge...And this movie has NOTHING to do with that. It just drops in a bunch of dumb, popular 1981 story points; and popular 1981 stars; and it appropriates this song for the purpose of popularizing this nonsense... It's just garbage. Terrible. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Denis Quaid, Kristy McNichol, and Mark Hamill Two siblings are in search of stardom; Travis is a country singer yet only had one hit that faded into obscurity His sister Amanda is ambitious determined to get them to Nashville But Travis wastes so much time with women and booze he has no passion Amanda then falls for a state trooper Conrad showing genuine concern I thought it was serviceable It takes over an hour for the singing portion to actually start The brother and sister spend most of the movie apart and trying to adjust to a small town's strict ideals But Quaid and McNichol's singing is pretty sweet and their bond is very believable Hamill is so likable as this cop just wanting Amanda to see her better self and not be so self-righteous always talking about how Travis has always been the center of her world Pretty sad ending for a movie like this I gotta say But it does allow Amanda to see she doesn't have to make it big as a singer on her own The songs I actually enjoyed too The film just takes its sweet time to get moving is the only setback But all 3 actors make the material serviceable if not memorable Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/30/23 Full Review jon c The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia is a 1972 song although in this movie it's loosely based Dennis Quaid and Kristy McNichol star as brother and sister, Travis and Amanda Child They are a duo music act wanting to go to Nashville to make it big Amanda is his manager and keeper But when she starts falling for a local enforcement officer Conrad played by Mark Hamill things change immensely Amanda wants them both to make it big in the business but Travis is having second thoughts about staying where he is and not having an interest in fame and success He prefers drinking and women fading from the spotlight not to mention butting heads with the deputy sheriff who's ex-girlfriend he's fallen in love with named Melody They both pull apart slowly It takes over an hour for the singing portion to actually start The brother and sister spend most of the movie apart and trying to adjust to a small town's strict ideals But Quaid and McNichol's singing is pretty sweet and their bond is very believable Hamill is so likable as this cop just wanting Amanda to see her better self and not be so self-righteous always talking about how Travis has always been the center of her world Pretty sad ending for a movie like this I gotta say But it does allow Amanda to see she doesn't have to make it big as a singer on her own The songs I actually enjoyed too The film just takes its sweet time to get moving is the only setback But all 3 actors make the material serviceable if not memorable Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member For the early 80s, it is a movie that will hold your attention, entertain you, and more! Besides this one is rare, but if you can find it watch it! And just maybe if enough ask, they will pull it out of the vault and re-release it!! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Very good movie, no one I've asked has seen it. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

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