sth_Weird I bought this movie on DVD because I like Judd Nelson and I like the music. I didn't know who Alan Freed was before watching the movie, I had heard the name and knew he had something to do with Rock n Roll, but that's it. I'm afraid I still don't know that much about him after watching this movie. There were quite a couple of scenes (especially those which showed his private life) when I was like "hello, did I miss something?". Sometimes there didn't seem to be much of a connection between the scenes...there simply was too much music (which by the way was great!) and very little story. I know Judd Nelson as a gorgeous character actor and I read he wanted to do this movie because he loved the music, so I'm sure he put some effort in it. I guess there simply was too little time to support any real character development, or else the movie was made for people who already know about Alan Freed's work and don't mind about the gaps. Anyway, I gave the movie 6/10, but not necessarily as an Alan Freed Story, but a Rock n Roll story.

Hermit C-2 This film suffers badly from a case of what might be called "TV-Movie Syndrome," a disease that is widespread and often fatal. Its symptoms are a bland, homogenized product that seems to have been mixed in a blender with every other TV-movie and poured into various molds. Superficially the movies may look different, but the essence is the same. Characters are shorn of rough edges and interesting quirks. At the same time subtleties and nuances in stories are glossed over and painted in broad strokes with the same brush. As a result you get a product that almost by definition is vastly inferior to a theatrical release.A great movie might be made about Alan Freed. He was at the cutting edge at the very beginning of the rock & roll culture, helping to promote a new kind of music that raised an excitement never seen before from a new class in America, the teenager. Besides influencing the popular culture enormously, he also turned out to be one of the forces that helped with the racial integration of this country by bringing black music into white homes and by staging concerts that put blacks and whites in seats together, often for the first time in their lives.None of that great story is captured very well here. This movie plays out simply as a tale about a popular deejay who ran into a few personal problems. Although it may not have been entirely his fault, Judd Nelson gives an utterly bland performance as Freed, a genuinely charismatic broadcaster and overall character. Obviously the producers felt that very few viewers would have ever seen or heard Freed work, so no attempt was made to create a character that even resembled his on-air persona. There are also lots of lip-synched performances from actors imitating various rock & roll greats. These don't help out at all, not even when using a talented performer like Leon to portray the dynamic Jackie Wilson.Previously there was a movie made about Freed and his rock & roll career, 'American Hot Wax' starring Tim McIntire. Whatever faults that film may have had it was easily twice the movie this one is. Alan Freed was an important cultural figure of his time whose influence is not generally recognized. This TV-movie is hardly going to change that.

generic-2 Judd Nelson gave an excellent performance as Alan Freed the disk jockey who coined the term Rock & Roll. All of the performances were fine and the songs of course were great. The lady who played his wife was a new face and very classy. The actor who played the heavy role was also quite good. Well worth watching.

TxMike OK, so it is a TV movie. And it didn't cost 100 million to make. But there are several charming story lines throughout the movie, and you do get to re-live some of the songs and performances you loved as a teenager. The actors do passable impersonations of the real stars of yesteryear. Give it a look when it is broadcast, you'll not be disappointed!