Review of And the Beat Goes On: The Sonny and Cher Story

upon, the orig. 'Network' Television airing of this TV. movie.. i really expected nothing. due, to the movies' subject matter, & content. there, just, weren't any expectations there. mainly, because these type of movies can easily/ quickly go wrong. while, only being a laughable "Mommy Dearest" type of disaster. not to mention, that Celeb. Bio-pix TV. movies are famous for their lack of promotion, casting Star power, emotion/ talent, & well written scripts/ book to television adaptations. re. this project.. i, "so", pleasantly surprised to have been 101% Wrong?! especially, for network TV... again, i was pleasantly pleased, & surprised, by this movies content. & it's amount?! & w. the addition of one (or, two) very small missing elements, this, def. could've cable, or been big screen ready! all actors, here, were really great. even, the smallest ones have met all of their marks! for me, the lead actors performances were simply divine. & should have def. been Award winning. you might not recognize this fact? but, it is Extremely difficult to mimic the actions, personality traits of a mild mannered person; like a Sonny Bono. still. the male lead; Jay Underwood, killed it. I MUST give proper credit to the female lead actress; Renee Fala, kudos! please, understand the Extreme difficulty of her undertaking the role of Iconic "character" Cher. every actress, (female) impersonator could "only" play Cher as a humorous spoof/ satire, a bad impersonation/ cartoon like character. or, as, just plain old' 'cheesy' badness. but, it's almost impossible to play such an iconic character as Cher. Renee is "the" single exception to this rule. her acting is so refreshingly, real. & also, the very Best kind of understatement. surprisingly, her portrayal of the odd, unique, eclectic, eccentric, flighty, scattered, emotionally distant, passively aggressive, irrational, reactive, defiant, sometimes difficult/ hard to please/ ungrateful, unpredictable, quick tempered, spoiled younger Cher, does not lead you to dislike her. quite, the opposite. it draws you in. & while, helping you to almost 'understand', relate to, & sympathize w. Cher's mindset. as, well as w. her point of view; re. 'her' potential happiness, her life, wants, desires, & needs. it also, shows us how two hopeful/ lovable/ misguided misfits use their imperfections as their strengths, how this (strangely) works in the best interest. & how this action makes all of their dreams realities. this keeps us all positively hopeful about our problems, wants, career goals, & unsatisfactory lives, this, alone, makes, both, of their performances big enough to fill any screen. i'd imagine that Renee's real life experience, as member of the band "Mazarines", may have helped her to play another musician, so flawlessly? still, i'm unsure if she actually did sing here? if not?.. her lip syncing was perfect. just as her careers as a Fashion Illustrator, & Costume Stylist, probably, helped her to feel very comfortable. & while, acting in Bob Mackie stage costume recreations. Renee, & Jay's, acting talents allows them, never, to be type casted (as, these people) after wards. while, their chemistry is tot. undeniable! but, while, not making it overbearing, annoying, too 'in your face. or, forced. Their Amazing acting still allows all involved to shine. these things are very difficult to do/ be. some great actors can do one of things well. if they can do all of these things?. they cannot do them simultaneously. yet, they seem to do these this w. such ease? last, i must add that this movies' minimalistic production, direction, & design, works so well here. it, actually, adds to it's genuine greatness. besides, deserving every award, possible. it def. does deserve an orig. Soundtrack too! mind you, i'm speaking as someone that has witnessed all of Sonny & Cher's career, during, it's orig. time. i just cannot say enough wonderful things about this production. i dare anyone to watch this. then, to 'not' love it?! important: the sheer Enjoyment of this is not limited to, 'only', Sonny & Cher fans! but, i must warn you that this movie, & everything mentioned here, will make love/ further understand Sonny & Cher!