Had "You Light Up My Life" been promoted for what it was, a low-budget growing-up film with a quirky and effective performance by Didi Conn, it would be better regarded today. Rather than the minimalist promotion and distribution this type of film normally receives, for some reason the distributors decided that this little film had the potential to make big money.

So they threw more money into marketing than had gone into production, they pre-sold the film with a hit recording of the title song (sung by Debby Boone although Kacey Cisyk actually does the singing in the film) released concurrently with the film, and they utilized a saturation booking technique normally reserved for their weaker blockbusters. This technique involves a lot of pre-release publicity and then opening it simultaneously in many theatres, with the goal of generating quick profits before bad reviews and word of mouth kill attendance (although a common practice today this was done less often in the 1970's).

The result was a lot of viewers who rightly felt that the film did not live up to its blockbuster billing, and a failure to appreciate the good points of the film. And there are some good points. Conn's earnest portrayal of a reluctant juvenile comedienne and good daughter trying to work out her adult identity rings true. You feel a protectiveness toward her that makes you more tolerant of the cornball elements. The child star vs stage-father stuff with Joe Silver seems genuine and the surreal television commercial material has some good comic qualities.

Kacey Cisyk (a session singer who was opera trained) recorded the song for the film but initially declined to record it for commercial release. She may have felt that it had no potential or maybe she just didn't wanted to be closely associated with a pop standard. So they recruited Debby Boone and her version went to the radio stations and record stores. Cisyk actually appears in the film as one of the bridesmaids.

Ironically, although the song works fine within the film, it hurts the film's reputation. People incorrectly believe that the film was just a lame attempt to exploit a hit record and that Boone was unwilling to allow her own version to be used in the production.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This is of course the film version of Debby Boone's hit song and it comes across as a rather uninspired effort but two of the actors in it make it a watchable flawed film. Story is about an aspiring singer/songwriter and actress who makes ends meet by being a stand-up comedian mainly for children. Didi Conn is Laurie Robinson and even she admits that she's not very good at comedy but her father Sy (Joe Silver) has other ideas about her career. Laurie is days away from being married to Ken (Stephen Nathan) but one night in a restaurant she meets Chris (Michael Zaslow) who is instantly attracted to her. He takes her to his home and they get intimate. The next morning she tells him it was just a one night stand and doesn't want to see him again and she leaves. A few days later she goes in for an audition because a film crew needs an actress to dub in the stars singing voice. She walks in and finds out that the director of the film is Chris! She auditions with her song (You Light Up My Life) and everyone is very impressed. In fact, they want her to be the star of the film! A few days later Laurie thinks she is in love with Chris and she decides to tell Ken that she doesn't want to get married. But then the roof falls in and she discovers that she has not been cast in the film and she goes to confront Chris who is busy with other females! The main story and script are very familiar and corny and the film really has nothing to offer that we haven't seen already in other films. Aspiring singer that has to tell her father that she needs to go on her own and telling her boyfriend that she really doesn't love him. Its been done before but this is not a bad film and its because of Conn and Silver. I've always been a fan of Silver and his work with David Cronenberg springs to mind immediately. The core of the film is the performance of Didi Conn who always brings a fresh realistic quality to her roles. She's the girl that you instantly take a shine to. She has that innocent and vulnerable quality that makes you root for her no matter what film she's in. Its a very natural quality but she's also a very good actress and her scenes with Silver are the best in the film. These two genuinely care for each other and its reflected on screen. One thing I noticed during the film were the scenes of Conn driving that old car. I'm not sure if Conn can drive in real life but she looks kind of uncomfortable sitting behind the wheel. And of course the scenes of Conn singing are lip-synched. The singing voice bares no resemblance to Conn's voice at all. And Conn and Silver worked on another film together that same year. They both did voices in the animated "Raggedy Ann & Andy" so they had a busy year together. This is not a very good film but Conn brings an undeniable charm to every performance she gives.

Young woman working for her low-rent showman father struggles to break out from his shadow and follow her heart as a singer-songwriter. Joseph Brooks, who composed, wrote, produced and directed the film, might have used some assistance. His picture has a drab, TV-movie look and feel, with an elongated emotional breakdown for our heroine which turns her from plucky imp to vulnerable girl victimized by too much love. Brooks stages a funny wedding rehearsal, and his placement of the Oscar-winning title tune (which he wrote, natch) in the recording studio gives it an emotional lift, but the final tag doesn't tell the whole story. Hasn't Brooks ever heard of the one-hit wonder? *1/2 from ****