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I have to share that I saw it several times in the theater!!! Lucky me!!! When we got the video, it was a favorite past-time to get our group of Rick girls together and watch it....It was also "tradition" to pause it on the kissing scene where Janet is standing above Rick...he licks his lips in the MOST wonderful way and then kisses her. This, of course, sent us into squeals of delighted laughter which would bring my Mom into the room just about every time! The funny thing is...when she'd see the kiss, she'd squeal too. She is an AWESOME mom!

I had this movie's release date starred, circled, highlighted, etc. on my family's calendar the day I knew it was coming out. (Strangely enough, right around this time-early April...) I by no means live in a rinky-dink suburb either, but when it finally made the papers of where it was showing, the closest theatre was 1/2 hour from my house. Not being able to drive yet, and being my parent's oldest child - I had to be on my best behavior and beg my parents to drive me and my friends to see it the Friday night it came out.    They agreed to the drop & shop (they drop us off, go shopping and come back
to pick up later) after much nagging on my part.

THE DAY arrives - I go to school decked out in my finest Rick "garb". I used to have (well, okay I still do) this jean jacket that I had pinned on every Rick pin manufactured (and some homemade) which I wore everywhere. Between that and my concert t-shirt, there was no mistaking I was a Rick fan! Go to
the theatre that evening, it is PACKED with Rick fans. We are so late getting in that we miss the previews, and walk into the theatre right at the moment Rick is bursting through the door in the first scene. I could have stood there right in the aisle and watched the whole flick like that, I was so taken away with Rick on the big screen. Find seats...and proceed to hoot & holler through the "nekkid" butt scene. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite scenes in the movie, only because I love the grin on his face when he realizes the door is locked, and he does his "awe shit".... then he shows us that fabulous grin again when he has eluded the mob on the stairs. I have been known to pause the movie at this point just to see that grin peeking out from the wall.

Another favorite line which my friends and I quoted repeatedly that year at school was, "Who do you think you're dealing with, some kind of bimbo? Oh, you got it bimbo!". I must admit to a 15 year old, this is quite awesome script writing. To the 32 year old I am now, I shudder at some of the dialogue. Again another favorite scene - the slow scrolling of "the butt"!   while Rick is lying there in the bed. Who didn't have fantasies of this man after that one????

I too was very disappointed of the choice of Janet Eilber as the lead. To the teenage me - she was ancient! Again, to the 32 year old me - she was ancient! I found it highly unlikely that someone of Rick's caliber would find her attractive. This is the only casting problem I have with the movie - Patti Hansen was great - the guys in the band were great - Owen (the Dana clone) was excellent..."it's not all tits & champagne".  Casserole! I loved   that man giving up his pants for Rick. I named a future hamster after that character.

I agree with the other reviewers so far also on the most favorite scene - outside the hotel after Jamie has chased Diana (why, I'm thinking - just let her go! I'm available) and she tells him she doesn't want his autograph, she wants him. And he says in that incredibly sexy voice - "you've got me. Know what else you've got, a wet butt!" Classic. Touching & funny, my kind of man.

The teenage me really, really, really...liked the movie (sorry, I think I've watched this movie too damn much!). It was totally what I expected at the time it came out, nothing more. I strangely enough did not enjoy the concert scenes too much, but I think that resulted in watching too many behind the
scenes specials on the making of Hard to Hold-so my subconscious knew this was a Jefferson Starship audience; not fair that they weren't really Rick fans. I had been to a couple of Rick shows by then also, and I just knew that that wasn't totally his stage presence, even then. (which is nothing like what it is now!)

The adult me still really, really, really...likes the movie. I watch it with my kids now, and they snicker through the "nekkid" butt scene. I never thought back then sitting there in the movie theatre (and I did go back and see it again a few more times before it's run ended...and then A LOT more times when it hit the dollar show - but I never kept count) that someday I would still be a Rick fan exposing my kids to what I think is the best musician of "my time". I never expected an Oscar performance out of Rick for this movie (or any other really) because I think a part of me just wants him to be a better singer/songwriter than actor. Ok, enough Freud for now.

Strangely enough, when this movie came out on video - the preview before it, Olivia Newton-John's Xanadu - was like the movie I lived by before Hard to Hold. My family knew of this obsession (ok at 13 I was really into roller-skating and wanted to BE Olivia) and Xanadu held the record for the movie I had seen the most times before Hard to Hold came out. (and I'm not sharing that number with you, I can't believe I am even sharing this much!) So when I popped the tape in (after spending $89.99 of my hard earned money from my after school job because I had to OWN the damn thing) and the preview from Xanadu came on - the hair on my arms literally stood on end. I don't know what this means, or why I had to share it...

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(hey, it was a major motion picture with a lot of scenes!)