Music plays a vital role in our lives – I have grown to be inherently suspicious of anyone who claims that they have never been moved by music or find it to be nothing more than trivial background noise. Each one of us has developed a specific taste, and much of that is formed during our earlier years when we find artists that represent whatever niche sub-culture with which we identify, as well as seek out lyrics that speak to our souls. Music is such an important part of life, and we have seen some truly extraordinary works of cinema that are based primarily around the use of music in different forms as the foundation for a character undergoing a particular journey. In the case of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, we find a trio of teenage girls rebelling against their working-class upbringing in some small town somewhere in the American Midwest, and in the process of seeking their identity they form The Stains, a punk rock group that has an unstable start, but soon proves to be the foundation for their interpersonal journey of self-discovery, where they each learn something about each other and themselves that helps give structure to their lives. Written by Nancy Dowd (under the pseudonym Rob Morton), who was behind some very memorable screenplays from this time, and directed by music mogul Lou Adler in one of his only endeavours as a filmmaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is a film conceived by two wildly different creative minds who work together (sometimes with great difficulty) in weaving together this touching story that is both heartfelt and rebellious in equal measure, and one that keeps us engaged and invested for the entire time, which is a great achievement in itself, especially for such a small independent production that has only recently started to gain a sense of popularity, taking on the characteristics of a true cult classic, appreciated by a smaller audience, but one that is not any less enamoured with the peculiarities of this charming and meaningful film.

As much as it has been repurposed as a cult film, we need to note that Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is not a perfect film – it was made by someone who had never directed before and only took on the role because of his well-documented insistence on always being in control, even to the point on taking the helm on a project in which he had very little experience, and there are known clashes that existed between Adler and Dowd in how they envisioned this story. Adler seemed to want a more fantastical, upbeat film whereas Dowd was more focused on the grittier, more honest side of the story. They eventually came to something of a compromise, and we find that this film is a peculiar blend of the two styles, developed in tandem and captured with a certain jagged inconsistency that somehow makes it even more effective, although perhaps not in any way that can be considered intentional. The film is formed as a social realist tale about a trio of young women trying to find their way through a world they don’t understand, and a lot of the plot relates to how they navigate various challenges. It isn’t quite formed in the image of Ken Loach, and there are tonal inconsistencies that we immediately notice – but there is a heartfulness to this film, and even when it doesn’t seem to be able to grasp onto a particular tone for long enough, it does effectively explore the lives of these characters, and Adler makes some surprisingly interesting directorial decisions that make it clear that he does have a knack for visual composition in much the same way as he does music (it turns out being behind the ingenious comedic stylings of Cheech and Chong in their seminal classic Up in Smoke does have its benefits), since there are some inspired moments scattered throughout the film. It’s not always coherent, and the ending itself has been the source of a lot of discourse surrounding how it fits into the narrative as a whole, but for the most part, we find that Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is a much more interesting film than we may have anticipated at the start.

We can quite easily reduce Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains to being a coming-of-age story since this is what it was striving to be at its foundation, and all other elements were just layered on top of it to make it more interesting. At its core, the film explores the experiences of these young women as they navigate the treacherous teenage years that are only made more difficult as a result of familial strife (the protagonist is plunged into a state of depression after the recent death of her mother, something that lingers as a major theme throughout the film) and unpopularity, both factors that can cause a young person to feel aimless and lost. Their solution is simple: they seek refuge in music, choosing the punk sub-culture as their preferred genre, with the angry lyrics delivered by people with an immense incredulity towards society and its conventions being most attractive. It’s a fascinating film in how it chooses to curate specific moments in the lives of these characters, which prove to be quite complex and deeply moving, while never losing that spark of rebellion that makes them such interesting individuals. Coming-of-age dramas are very common, and there isn’t anything that Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains do that can be considered all that revolutionary, but the solid nature of the story, coupled with the director’s heartfelt approach to a lot of this material is enough to draw our attention, and many of the observations around adolescent angst and the uncertainty of the future is quite moving, particularly in the quieter moments where we observe a lot more complex emotions emerging at the surface. It may follow conventions, but it is never cliched to the point where our experience is in any way hindered, and we find that the most moving moments are usually those that come about in the quieter sequences in which we get to truly know these characters and what they represent.

For contemporary viewers, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains will be even more intriguing considering that this saw very early performances by Laura Dern and Diane Lane, two actors who would go on to become quite beloved, and remain some of the best working actors we have today. These are much more than one-dimensional, precocious performances given by child actors – there is a grit to what Lane and Dern (as well as Marin Kanter, who is the third part of their trio but has not acted in over thirty years, deciding that showbusiness was not something she was interested in pursuing) are doing throughout this film, and their performances are filled with heart and soul and have such incredible complexity. Lane in particular is quite impressive – we rarely see young actors manage to run the emotional gamut quite as well as she does here, and her performance is deeply moving, particularly in the moments where we are given insights into her psychological state, which entails trying to balance grieving for her mother and achieving worldwide fame, something that she believes is her destiny, not realizing the hard work it requires to rise to the place where she envisions herself and her band. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains doesn’t always have its ideas executed perfectly, but we do find that the performances are earnest and very moving, and bring the entire film together. The film is also worth watching for a performance by a very young Ray Winstone, who is just as magnetic as ever as the lead singer of the band that The Stains are asked to shadow, and then eventually overtake as they grow in popularity. It’s a solid ensemble, and everyone navigates the material with precision and a lot of complexity, which makes for quite a captivating experience, and one that is always focused on creating interesting characters that can be the vessels for this profoundly moving story.

Music as self-expression is a vital aspect of studying the medium, and this film manages to perfectly capture its use in the formative years of a group of people who have dedicated their lives to pursuing this art, not for the fame or fortune (although this is a factor and something that they all strive to achieve), but rather as a way of improving their lives and pursuing their dreams. It’s a film that carries itself with a certain degree of complexity, and we find that many elements are deeply moving, enough to keep us engaged even at those moments that are more conventional than they ought to have been. It is certainly not the most definitive work on the subject of the punk sub-culture, nor is it a particularly inventive version of the coming-of-age narrative, but Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is still an extremely entertaining film that has a solid foundation and a strong idea of what it wanted to say, which is often more than enough to keep us invested and compelled by its usually quite unconventional premise. Whether or not it succeeds in exploring certain themes is a matter that is up for debate, but there is a sense of genuine empathy that flows through this film, and we find that Adler and Dowd bring many compelling concepts to life without needing to resort to cliche too often, which is quite an achievement for a relatively small-scale production. It is rarely unnecessarily sentimental, and it has a genuine fondness for its characters, which makes quite a difference and immediately qualifies Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains as a wickedly entertaining film, and one that doesn’t neglect to find the heart in some of the more challenging circumstances.