If nothing else, casting Bette Midler in the lead role of this modern-day "Stella Dallas" was a stroke of genius. In fact, if not for the respected (and Oscar-nominated) performance of Barbara Stanwyck in the 1937 classic film of that title, one could say Midler was born to play the part, it seems that tailor-made for her.
And "Stella" is surprisingly faithful to the 1937 "Stella Dallas," a well-known tale of a mother's sacrifices so her daughter can have the good life. (This time, however, since she never marries Stephen Dallas she never is Stella Dallas - hence, the abbreviated title.)"Stella" begins in 1969 where Stella Claire is a bartender in Watertown, a run-down section of New York. She reluctantly allows herself to be romanced by a charming young intern named Stephen Dallas (Stephen Collins), resulting in an unexpected pregnancy.
Stephen volunteers to do the right thing and marry her, but he's insincere and Stella notes that "oil and water don't mix." Most astute.
So, refusing to take money from Stephen, Stella raises their daughter Jenny (played as a teen by Trini Alvarado) alone. She leaves bartending to work at a lumber yard and then, in a funny bit, successfully sells cosmetics door to door.
Meanwhile, Jenny grows up troubled and insecure. She hangs out with a pothead who wears a black leather jacket and throws her out of the car when she declines to be molested. During these moments Jenny seems wild and rebellious, but then she becomes gentle and loving (when she's not fighting) with Mom and, in an even more radical change, she is sophisticated and sweet when she visits Dad. Yet Jenny is never portrayed as a manipulating person, so the inconsistencies seem strange.
Then there's Stella's best friend Ed Munn, played in his usual lovable slob manner by John Goodman. In fact, even when he's supposed to be at his most obnoxious, consistently showing up drunk at the wrong time, Goodman is a bit too lovable for this character.
Those who are familiar with the Stanwyck version may be surprised just how faithful this remake is, right down to re-creating all the famous scenes - the ill-fated birthday party, Stella dressing outlandishly and embarrassing Jenny during a vacation, Ed bringing a whole turkey to the house on Christmas and, of course, the famous climactic moment. Yet they never build up the power of the original.
It's questionable whether this kind of soap opera material holds up in the '70s and '80s context, as the plotting often seems overly contrived and even slightly ridiculous.
But then there is Bette Midler. She's terrific as Stella, injecting a lot of wonderful - and much-needed - humor in the role and playing her image as a gauche vulgarian to the hilt. In fact, she's perfect.
Would that the rest of the film, written by Robert Getchell ("Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Bound for Glory") and directed by John Erman in his big-screen debut (he did the TV movies "Who Will Love My Children" and "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles," among others), was up to her talents.
Still, like "Beaches" last year, "Stella" works in spite of itself, and largely because of Midler. Stephen Collins is aloof and Marsha Mason - as his girlfriend in the film's latter half - is plastic. Trini Alvarado is good and Goodman has his moments - but the only real reason to see this is Bette Midler.
"Stella" is rated PG-13 for quite a bit of profanity and vulgarity, as well as some sex, nudity, violence and drug abuse.