A pretty good indie film from the early '80s with virtually unknown, yet good talent, from Minneapolis. I've noted that the headliner, Bill Schoppert, often appeared in productions which had themselves set in Minneapolis. Apparently, he's a fair, seasoned actor who prefers to stay planted in Minneapolis.
I remember being on vacation in a nice hotel on the beach in Corpus Christi. That then was a bad time for me, and this was on the cable TV. It fit the bill quite nicely for me at that time.
Bill Schoppert plays a guy who is blindsided by his spouse and an unexpected divorce. he's puzzled (as I was at that time)--figuratively, his character bites his lip and bravely hits dating again after many years of satisfactory marriage (in his mind, anyway). He's struck by a pretty girl who gracefully skates by--so, he gives up mere jogging and takes up rollerskating, becoming quite skilled.
After the predictable missteps in dating--including a disastrous date with a buoyant, noisy Jewish woman (a well-noted role from the late OKC-native actress, Vicki Dakil), he meets a more compatible woman (played by actress Karen Landry). The problem is that she keeps her marriage secret, and Schoppert's character endures an unfortunate incident with the angry husband--the relationship ends, sadly and unfortunately--but Schoppert's character wistfully shrugs it off and trudges ever-onward towards love in his future.
The music in the film is quite good--the shining (expensive) gem is the late Nicollette Larson's quite beautiful rendition of Neil Young's "Lotta Love." Her version of the tune (predictably) became a great hit from that era.
I'm puzzled, too, at why this never shows up on TV. Unfortunately, indie films such as this often disappear without a trace--given low budgets, non-existent marketing, and sloppy, careless inattention. I suppose that big media just doesn't want to fool with works such as this (even given that the rights are ridiculously inexpensive). Really, someone in programming should understand that many people are tired of dumb, talentless media and endless repeats of the same things with expensive talent and production--even given that some such latter works are quite good.
Perhaps, the film will pop up in the $1 "thin" DVD racks at "Wally World!"--Who knows? Often, I look through such racks (sometimes successfully)--searching for "lost" minor gems from the past....
