Cinemalphabet: G is for Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984)
Critics put rocks in their gloves before beating up on P-Mac’s not-entirely-terrible Give My Regards to Broad Street. If the worst thing that can be said of film is the camera work is bland – and that is certainly the case for Give My Regards to Broad Street – that’s hardly a reason for the TKO the film received upon its theatrical release.
It’s definitely a cheesy piece of pop fluff, but there is an undercurrent of sweetness and P-Mac’s enduring charisma that more than make up for the cinematography shortcomings. You could do a lot worse than this film and P-Mac has great screen presence. I wish he’d do MORE acting. Besides, No More Lonely Nights is an underrated gem of a pop tune and Paul’s voice never sounded better (in my opinion). If you want a less painful version of the events depicted in the film – with far better acting – try Paul’s video My Brave Face off his stellar 1989 release Flowers in the Dirt. That video even features a cameo by the album’s producer – Elvis Costello!
