Lip Service
by Graeme Campbell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Gail O'Grady, Harvey Atkin, Jerry Ciccoritti, Peter Outerbridge, Stewart BickDirector: Graeme Campbell
Cinematographer: Nikos Evdemon
Producer: Anne Carlucci
Producer: Dan Lyon
Producer: Marian Brayton
Producer: Rona Edwards
Producer: Terry Gould
Writer: Eric Williams
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-10-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Starlight Video
Movie Reviews of Lip Service
Movie Review: When Talent and Image Collide
Summary: 5 Stars
(Spoiler Alert!)
This made-for-TV feature is about a producer/songwriter named Roger "Deac" Deacon who is quite gifted, yet coming out of a drug/alcohol-adled losing streak and a housewife/mother named Maggie Stanley with a golden voice, golden hair, a troubled family life and a more-than-mild case of stage fright.
The story starts with Deac (portrayed by Peter Outerbridge) trying to find the right match for new material he's written to end his losing streak. He's approached by an entertainment mogul named Sidney Golden ((Harvey Atkin) to write and produce the debut album by a new face-with-an-attitude named Sunni (Kari Wuhrer). Deac is disappointed to find she can't carry a tune in a cement mixer. In a slump, he goes to an Italian restaurant downstairs from his home studio and hears Maggie (Gale O'Grady) singing the Carpenters classic, "Rainy Days and Mondays" in a near-paralyzed state of fright. Deac is mesmerized and tells Maggie where to find him.
The next day, she gives Deac a call (though skeptical about his compliments of her singing) and ends up doing a take of the first song Sunni laid down. Eventually, Deac gets Maggie to record an album's worth of songs, then allows an associate named Lowell Levitt (Stewart Bick) to pass her voice off as Sunni's. The album is packaged, videos are made, and Sunni becomes a household name. Maggie can't convince anybody from her family (who she kept in the dark about recording the songs) that it's her voice and not Sunni's. She confronts Deac, his engineer named Buddo and Levitt about the conspiracy and gets doors slammed in her face. Levitt isn't interested in what Sidney will do if he learns his young client can't sing.
Her son, Josh Stanley (Serial Joe guitarist/vocalist Ryan Dennis) is trying to get his band's demo heard by the same people who package Sunni's album. After Josh gets a letter of rejection, he approaches Sunni at an autograph signing to give the music a listen, as well as giving a live show. Maggie knows Sunni's real nature and tries to win back her son's affection by signing Sunni's name to a thank you note. He doesn't trust his mother and buys a ticket to the upcoming concert. Meanwhile, Levitt gets Buddo to pilfer the master tapes so the fans will think Sunni is really singing.
Coming to his senses and willing to accept the consequences if Sidney finds out the truth, Deac manages to sneak himself and Maggie into the concert venue. Slipping past Levitt and cornering Buddo in the control room, Deac accosts his engineer for stealing the tapes and forces him to work with him in exposing Sunni for her inability to sing. Maggie is introduced as the real voice, and she overcomes her stage fright to give a wonderful, heartfelt performance. While Levitt is beside himself with rage, Sidney and Maggie's son Josh (both near the foot of the stage) are profoundly impressed with the performance.
For an epilogue, the film closes with the Josh Stanley Band (comprising the members of Serial Joe) in Deac's studio cutting the song from their demo with Maggie singing along with Josh. Her husband and daughter are there during the session.
When this movie was first aired on TV, it was called Out of Sync. It was given the title Lip Service for the DVD publication. The first couple of times I saw the movie, I remember tuning in to VH1 and picking it up partway through. I immediately knew it was like a backward version of the Milli Vanilli saga (along with Singing in the Rain). Ironically, Gale (better known for her role on NYPD Blue) was lip syncing to a singer named Karen LeBlanc. But, it's very convincing, since Karen's singing voice is similar in character to Gale's talking voice. It's definitely a movie worth watching, especially when you consider the ending, which showcases how much more emphasis is placed on image than musical prowess. Just ask Susan Boyle about that.
Summary of Lip Service
Sunni (Kari Wuhrer, TV's "Anaconda," "Higher Learning," TV's "Sliders") is a beautiful singer with an attitude, and is about to record her first album. Deacon (Peter Outerbridge, "Mission to Mars," TV's "Millenium"), is an ex-tycoon producer whose popularity has gone downhill and who thinks he can make it big again with this young sex kitten. He tries everything to turn her tin ear into gold, but she just can't carry a tune. Drowning his sorrows at a karaoke bar, he stumbles upon a young housewife (Gail O'Grady, TV's "American Dreams," "NYPD Blue," "China Beach) who is more at home in the kitchen than behind a microphone, but has an amazing voice. He convinces her to lend her voice to what she believes is a demo tape. Her voice is dubbed over Sunni's entire album which ultimately hits the top of the charts. The fans go wild and demand a live concert. Will the two women meet? How will Deacon handle the scam he has pulled? Will the fans get the live concert they crave?Comedy DVD Video
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