bette midler offer a performance that be both powerful ( for the actress ) and trouble ( for the character . ) she play mary rise foster and a girl who grow up on the wrong side of the track in florida and but by 1969 ( when the movie be set ) end up a a mega rock star know simply a the rise . unfortunately and in the midst of all her success her life fall apart . she end up ( by the time the movie begin ) a a lonely alcoholic close to burnout and but with a manager ( alan bates ) who would not let her have time to recuperate and and instead just keep push her on and on to the next show . rise just want to play one last concert in her hometown to show the local what a star she become and then ( a she say repeatedly ) she want to take a year off ( and from the look of her she could use it . ) midler make this movie . it be her first star role and and it be a challenge one and but she pull it off perfectly . i be not a huge fan of her style of singing and but the behind the scene look at life on the road be interesting enough and at least for a while . admittedly and the story become a bit monotonous after a while and there be extend scene that really do not seem necessary to the development of the story and but director mark rydell do manage to pull the viewer into rise life and and make her a sympathetic character . the movie also feature a decent performance from frederic forrest a rise love interest huston dyer and who start a her chauffeur and end up a her lover and but eventually have to get away from her and the life she be lead and although i find the romance a bit too contrive to be believable . i think this be a good movie and memorable mostly for midler and the music . even with the weakness that be clearly present and i be still go to positive for this .