You Light Up My Life (1977)

Director:

Joseph Brooks

Writer:

Joseph Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

31 August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Sometimes when you reach for a dream you have to leave something behind.

Plot:

Laurie has been in show business since she was a child. Her dream is to be a singer, songwriter and actress...

Plot Keywords:

Title Based On Song

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Didi Conn	...	Laurie Robinson
Joe Silver	...	Sy Robinson
Michael Zaslow	...	Chris Nolan
Stephen Nathan	...	Ken Rothenberg
Melanie Mayron	...	Annie Gerrard
Jerry Keller	...	Conductor
Lisa Reeves	...	Carla Wright
John D. Gowans	...	Charley Nelson (as John Gowans)
Simmy Bow	...	Mr. Granek
Bernice Nicholson	...	Mrs. Granek
Ed Morgan	...	Account Executive
Joseph Brooks	...	Creative Director (as Joe Brooks)
Amy Letterman	...	Laurie
Marty Zagon	...	Mr. Nussbaum
Martin Gish	...	Harold Nussbaum

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:7 | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (video rating) | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

All songs sung by Didi Conn in the movie were lip-synched. The actual singer on the soundtrack album was Kacey Cisyk (often misspelled as 'Cassie Cisyk') , who also appears in the film as a bridesmaid. Debby Boone covered the title track, and her version spent 10 weeks at #1 on the U.S. pop music charts in 1977.

Quotes:

Laurie Robinson/Didi Conn: I learned something today, Pop. It was really painful, but I learned something. I learned that I have to depend on myself. I can't depend on anybody else and that's ok. You know why? Because I'm a really good person to depend on. Maybe I don't have someone that I thought I loved a lot really, but that's ok because I've got me. And I've got my work. And I've got my music. And I love that - more than anything else on this earth.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind (#23.17)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

California Daydreams

Tops on my list

A simple story, a great song and an excellent lesson about life. Laurie Robinson ( played to a tee by Didi Conn ) is the child of an entertainer. Her father ( Joe Silver ) is grooming her to follow in his footsteps. However, Laurie's heart and talent is in her music and she finds it her " love ". This is a story of disappointment and overcoming the numerous letdowns we face in life and the one person we can rely on is ourselves and also to like ourselves because if we give in to failures in our lives, we have failed. The title song was schmaltzy at the start but as time goes on, it professes hope and an inspiration. A melody that reaches the core of my heart and will stand as one of most beloved songs of my life