Wonderful character development!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Light of Day is one of my favourite Rock n' Roll films. Not the most popular choice, I'll grant you. A lot of people might question that, but let me explain my point of view. Most rock films deal with the rock star lifestyle. You know all the clichés: sex, drugs, booze, limos, groupies, hotel room demolition and general decadence (not that there's anything wrong with that; Spinal Tap is another favourite of mine!). In other words they deal with what is essentially UNREALITY for the vast majority of rockers out there. Instead they deal with a fantasy or an ideal, with what all us rockers would like to think is waiting for us just around the corner. Light of Day, on the other hand, deals with real life, and what Rock n' Roll means to several ordinary people. Several ordinary people dealing with ordinary, everyday problems; work, relationships, family, estrangement, disillusionment. Music is their refuge. As Patti Rasnick (played by Joan Jett) says "Music is all that matters. One hour on stage makes up for the other 23", and that is essentially the theme of the movie; No matter what life throws at us, we'll get through it as long as we have music. A theme that is reinforced by the final musical performance of the movie (I wont give too much away, don't worry).There is absolutely no glamour to be found in this movie whatsoever; and that's one of the things I love about it! Its pure, unglamorous REALITY. Travelling in a van, playing dives, boosting food to survive another day on the road and doing it all for the love of Rock n' Roll, and knowing that the alternative is just too f**king odious to seriously contemplate... Okay sorry, I'm getting a bit heavy handed with my review here, but anyway, in conclusion: forget Family Ties (I haven't even seen an episode of that show in about 15 years, who gives a damn?), Michael J. Fox does an awesome and realistic job in Light of Day (all the members of The Barbusters played live in the performance scenes), the plot has a subtlety and realism missing in practically every other rock film I've seen, and the songs are great! Yes, I recommend this film to anybody who's ever played in a travelling band, or just loves Rock n' Roll.BTW, in case my American friends are wondering: "favourite", "glamour" and "travelling" are not spelling mistakes. ;-)

In 1987, who would have guessed that the smirky kid from "Family Ties" had such range or that a punky girl rocker could deliver such a moving performance? "Light of Day" is a small but powerful film carried by incredible performances by Michael J. Fox, Joan Jett, and Gena Rowlands. Director Paul Schrader just lets the cameras roll while Fox and Jett deliver the goods in this simple tale of dreams, family, and redemption. The power of this film resides in the realism and sincerity of the interactions between Fox, Jett, and Rowlands. Seventeen years later, it still wrings more than few tears and leaves the viewer deeply satisfied. *****5-Stars! Bravo!

If you're looking for an Academy Award caliber screenplay or performances - keep looking. If you're looking for an imaginative or tightly wrenched plot line - keep on looking. But if you're looking for a relatively simple, mildly thought provoking and even a bit touching family/coming-of-age melodrama - "Light of Day" may possibly be up to the task. During this primetime part of his career, pretty much anything that Michael J. Fox did was worth a look. Couple this with the facts that the legendary Gena Rowland turned in a credible performance, and rocker Joan Jett was surprisingly solid, "Light of Day" can be decently entertaining to those folks who are home during the day; those airlines looking for inexpensive in-flight movies or guys like me, who learned of the bar scene, by cutting their teeth in so many of Cleveland's eighties-era, head bangin' watering holes... 5.5 Stars

the first time i watched this movie i only watched it because i was big michael j fox fan (then again who wasn't in the mid 80's) and an even bigger joan jett fan. i figured it would just be a fun movie. i had no idea that joan jett would do such a good job in it. my favorite part of the movie was the cameo by trent reznor though. he plays keyboards for one of the bands they are competing with. when this movie came out it was still two year pre pretty hate machine so i didn't notice him after i bought that album i'd heard he was in it and rewatched it and sure enough there he was. so if you're a fan of any of these people this movie is definetly worth watching.