"Let Me Down Hard" Streeming On Prime

If you are going to have someone play a local rock 'n' roll hero, you should do what director and producer William DeVizia did for the 2016 film "Let Me Down Hard," brought to us by the Red Bank Film Factory. DeVizia chose Keith Roth to portray Jack Ainsley, a rock star who experienced a fall from grace due to his own behavior and excesses that forced our anti-hero to go back home to Asbury Park. "If that shithole can come back so can I." I believe those were the words uttered by Ainsley to Paula, his mom.

Roth has his own history within the music industry. He has his own label. He has worked for the Aquarian. He can be heard on Hair Nation on Sirius Radio, as well as on the Electric Ballroom at WRAT-FM. He has performed with a number of legends, as well as in the bands Bad Biscut and Frankenstein 3000. One of my favorite Roth songs, "Goin' Away," was included in the film. Fortunately, I can honestly say that Roth is not the asshole that Ainsley is. He wants a contract so bad that he resorts to passing off a local songwriter's (James Dunnigan) demo as his own.

Stephanie Silk did a wonderful job as Ainsley's sister Carrie. In addition, Margo Crupi brought a certain amount of realness to her character (Ainsley's mom) that she reminded me of my mom, minus the dementia. Kristin Scuorzo brought a certain amount of familiarity to her role as Rachel, that I was almost sure that I had met someone like her while riding the Asbury circuit.

One of my favorite things about this film was the familiarity of the scenery, including The Saint, The Stone Pony, Brighton Bar and McLoone's. I could smell the salt water while Ainsley walked with his mom through the Asbury Park Casino building. The inclusion of Frankenstein 3000 and The Ribeye Brothers performing at local venues was a plus. The title song by John Eddie was a strong inclusion, but I also enjoyed Roth's acoustic take on the number at the Brighton.

While it is true that the inclusion of a major star would have definitely assisted with the increasing of the budget, I believe it would have lost some of its authenticity. While Ainsley decided not to change, there was still a happy ending with the fact that Carrie finally decided to give love another chance. I guess you could say that this is Keith Roth's Coming Of Age Tour because the man has worked hard for everything he has gotten. Kudos to the whole crew for bringing a rock 'n' roll tale to Prime with a local flavor. It is streaming currently on Amazon.