"I'll Do Anything" (1994) or How Not To Make A Movie Musical

per Wiki:

[quote]One of the original songs meant to be performed in the film is heard during the closing credits and is included on the soundtrack album released by Varèse Sarabande, along with four instrumental tracks by the film's composer, Hans Zimmer. While other versions of songs penned by Prince resurfaced on some of his later projects, Girl 6 and The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale, none of the actual performances from the movie were ever officially released.

Although James L. Brooks has mentioned he would like to release a director's cut restoring the musical numbers and including a making-of documentary, that project has yet to come to fruition. The film's commercially released version is available on DVD.

In a 2013 interview, Zimmer said that a release of the musical version is unlikely: "The deal structure on those songs was so complicated and so expensive, and it would cost so much money in rights to put it out.”

In an interview on Off Camera with Sam Jones, Jackson Browne stated that his song "I'll Do Anything", released on the 1993 album I'm Alive was originally written to be the title song for the movie. It was to be a comedic song sung by Albert Brooks where he is begging a test audience to favorably review his latest film.

I saw this film about five years ago on cable. Yet another terrible '90s film. Nick Nolte did another bomb in 1994, I Love Trouble, with Julia Roberts.

Can someone explain why/how Nick Nolte was still a thing in the 1990s?

He was hot looking for about 10 minutes in the 70s. He's not a very good actor.

I learned about this film listening to the "You Must Remember This" podcasts about Polly Platt.

It sounded like an ill-conceived disaster from the start. It was just an odd idea to just plug in songs -- sung by actors who couldn't sing.

He was very good in "Prince of Tides", but I mainly remember him for "Rich Man, Poor Man" which I thought Peter Strauss was just as good, but he kind of disappeared within a few years.

Here is the Carole King song that was cut:

I saw it in a theater. I was in a mall, tired and it was warm. It didn't make a lot of sense. Very choppy and poorly edited. Not sure whose fault. I recalled previews and thought it was going to be a musical. Tracey Ullman's character seemed like she had a tremendous backstory but it was only a cameo.

Thanks, R6. That was truly terrible!

I can’t believe there’s a James L. Brooks/Twyla Tharp/Prince musical and we can’t see it. Zach Snyder's Justice League is a cause celebré but this gets lost to the ages.

I just listened to that podcast, R4. Fascinating.

James Brooks sounds like he had no clue what he was doing whatsoever.

And producer Polly Platt HATED the Twyla Tharp choreography. I respect Tharp, but when she's gotten it wrong, she's dead wrong.

[quote]And producer Polly Platt HATED the Twyla Tharp choreography.

It is suggested that Polly Platt was very competitive and didn't like having another woman on set who had more of the ear of the director than she had.

I saw it in the 90s. I remember the little girl was awful. Total brat and unwatchable.

It could be worse. It could have had Tony Danza in it.

Wasn’t this another instance where Tracey Ullman filmed scenes, but all her parts were left on the cutting room floor?

New York’s hottest club is: [makes the noise of an insect flying by]. Written and directed by James L. Brooks…This place has everything: Backpacks, sea lions, Ron Wood, a rental car filled with bottled water, my best friend Joel, plus a special appearance by evil celebrity chef Wario Batali.

R12, you'll be gratified to know that she went on to do.... a whole lot of nuthin'.

Seriously, that's what you get for being named "Whittni."