Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
It was a hard role to cast and one of the producers came in my office and said, "How would you feel about Jon Bon Jovi?" I said, "The singer? The rock guy?" From the moment that he sat down and started to read, I mean, snapped my head around.
The last thing I wanted was to have someone to come in and play this as though they knew they were a stud. This character had to be totally unaware of that.
He nailed that scene in the very first take. Jon said, "Are you sure you don't want another one?" I said, "Why? You know, you did it. You just hit it out of the park."
You have pre-conceptions when you're going to meet someone like Jon Bon Jovi. You know, you've got the 80's hair look and you're thinking rock star.... There was no acting. He didn't act. He just was. Which, for someone who's never done this before, was just mind-blowing. There's this duality to him which is really enticing. He has this enormous charisma coupled with this unbelievable down to earth quality which you don't see very often. It reminded me of when I worked with Tom Hanks.
I enjoyed it. All the women on the set enjoyed it. Girls from the act department, costume people, a couple of ladies from the office. All of a sudden there were all these people standing around the monitors watching Jon. He said "There weren't this many people here yesterday." I said, "No, honey, they were not. They're here to see you kiss me."
He's incredibly generous and thoughtful and just a sweetheart of a guy.
The best thing about the film is Bon Jovi, a Polygram artist now on both their record and film sides, who equipped himself in all senses of the word. His acting
courses have paid off and I look forward to seeing him in his next film. Brad Pitt and beefcakes beware!
MTV rocker Jon Bon Jovi is entirely likeable and convincing in the role.
Watch for Jon B. all the way. When this Italian stallion teaches Rebecca how to eat pizza... mamma mia!
Bon Jovi, making his acting debut... does very well. He also has several comedic one-liners. He has a very promising future (but we all knew that already).
An air of michievous, stud-muffin fantasy is injected when too-cute-to-be-true Jon Bon Jovi happens to be painting the house next door to Perkins. Goldberg, Paltrow, and Turner giddily decide that this man, who basks in the sunshine of permanent good-hair days will light up Perkins' gray future. Mr. Bun Jovi, it turns out, liberates all of them.
Jon Bon Jovi, in a small role as a housepainter who captures the eye of every woman in the film also acquits himself admirably.
The Valentino of the title--the nickname the women give to a sexy housepainter played by rocker Jon Bon Jovi is present primarily to be ogled. Perhaps he's supposed to signify freedom, simplicity, and fantasy, but the film's not that deep. Mostly, he just looks cute, and Bon Jovi can do that. Mostly, he just looks cute, and Bon Jovi can do that. He may play the most realistic character: vacuous and handsome and straightforward. One feels sort of bad for him, trampled by a script that's trying so hard to be meaningful.
The catalyst who sexually charges the quartet is a house painter, in the pleasant guise of rocker Jon Bon Jovi--aka Jon "Buns" Jovi after Turner declares, "What a
great ass." He brightens the mood, but only briefly.
Jon Bon Jovi makes a memorable screen debut.
Jon Bon Jovi is terrific. He's a charm-packed natural.
Even the attractive distraction of a cute house painter (rock star Jon Bon Jovi, effortlessly dreamy) provides only so much solace.
Moonlight and Valentino: Jon Bon Jovi shows up to paint a young widow's house. Only in Hollywood. In real life, you'd get Danny DeVito.
The only time the movie comes out of its torpor is when rock star Jon Bon Jovi shows up as a hunky housepainter. His many fans already know he's adorable-looking, but the guy can act too. This movie may end up remembered as the one that launced Bon Jovi's movie career.
When he's allowed to talk though, Bon Jovi succeeds in making the perceptive, funny painter believably sensitve (yet not cloying). After playing perfectly the fast and loose rock star up on stage, he proved he could also be exquisitely subtle, with an impressive emotional depth.
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As for male roles go, the largest role goes to Jon Bon Jovi (who fares surprisingly well without much to do).