Barry Manilow and his management have partnered with the production companies co-owned by Michael Stipe and Tom Hanks to develop a romantic comedy featuring songs from his catalogue. According to Variety, we’re not talking Mamma Mia!, we’re talking about a Love Actually-style film that simply involves the intersecting storylines of Fanilows descending on Vegas to see Barry headline Mandalay Bay. Manilow’s music would be throughout the film; he would appear onscreen to perform a song or two.
Since no information was given about specific storylines, I vote we all suggest one. Here’s mine: A woman in her early-30s named after Manilow’s song “Mandy”* is convinced she’s still single and destined never to be appreciated because of the song’s lyrics: “Oh, Mandy/Well, you came and you gave without taking/But I sent you away/Oh, Mandy”. She thinks Manilow owes her, and has come to demand that he help find her a man over the next 48 hours. (She also demands a cameo by Manilow’s best friend, Suzanne Somers.)
Your turn.
* I’m Mandi with an ‘i’ because my mother was a schoolteacher who didn’t want me to have to “go below the line” when learning how to write my first name.
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I am such a Manilooney!! I live in Vegas and have seen him, so good!! I dragged my husband there and he actually had a good time. I’d see any movie with his music!!
Mandi, I have no ideas. I just wanted to come on and tell you that I liked yours so much that I hope somehow one of the producers of the movie sees it and decides to go with it.
wow, I don’t think anybody can come up with a better idea than yours Mandi…I’d pay to see that and take my mom and my best friend too! I had pizza and beer with Michael Stipe about 22 years ago…wonder if he’d take my call now so I could pose your idea to him?
I can remember pretending that I was Mandy and my friend was Melissa. We had all sorts of romantic ideas about Barry but we understood that they couldn’t come true…we couldn’t overcome the age difference. So we pretended to be his daughters. Oh, youthful innocence!
easy – a “muriels wedding”-like movie that features a depressed fanilo’s search for love. except… it’s a gay guy. and barry performs at the courthouse wedding! i can’t wait for “i write the songs.”
I like your idea!
Mandi – OK not a Manilow entry but how funny about your Mom’s spelling. My mom named 6 kids the same way because she hated going below the line as a kid. Her full name had lower case Js, Gs, and Zs in it. Who knew there were others like her out there?
I would hope to see any Barry Manilow-related movie involve a special guest appearance by Ape Sapien (Doug Jones) and Hellboy (Ron Perlman), last seen drunkenly crooning a duet of “Can’t Smile Without You” when HB catches his high-culture friend listening to a ‘greatest love songs’ CD in Hellboy 2. So brilliant, so funny. Hellboy and Manilow go together like peas and carrots.
Does anyone remember the TV movie based on Copacabana? Annette OToole played Lola. They could easily re-work it, except that it wasn’t a comedy.