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Title: A schmaltzy exploitation of late 80s NY
Review: The actors do a more-or-less good job and appear quite dedicated to the project. Most of them sing pretty well with a notable exception of the headliners Diggs and Dawson - they're painful and I wished they just lipsynced to someone with a voice.The movie, however, left me cold. What bugged me most is the Hollywood schmaltz laid thick all over what is purpotedly the late 80s' NY. What was a gritty, sick, and extremely creative scene has been transformed out into cutesy entertainment. In this Starbucks version of late 80s East Village, junkies and AIDS sufferers feature cool clothes, perfect bodies, clear skin, and neat haircuts. Their suffering is largely outside the camera shot. Not only the whole farce felt cheap, it seemed to cheapen the experience of those who lived, died, and created on that scene.
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