After the death of Dolly Parton, many listened to the country legend’s iconic music or watched her movies in tribute, but one of those movies is rather hard to find. Of course, I’m talking about Rhinestone, the musical romantic comedy in which Parton starred alongside Sylvester Stallone. An unlikely pairing to be sure. Stallone recently took to Instagram to declare that Rhinestone is actually his favourite film he’s ever done (aside from Rocky), but he can’t find it streaming anywhere.
“Believe it or not, Rhinestone is my favorite film I’ve ever done – besides Rocky, of course! Because it’s the one where Dolly and I just had a ball,” Stallone wrote. “And now I can’t find it streaming anywhere. This special movie needs to see the light of day! In honor of Dolly Parton Day, let’s get this on streaming. Swipe through to see some of my favorite scenes.“
After a little digging around, it doesn’t appear as though Rhinestone is streaming anywhere in North America. Not only that, but the film has never been released on Blu-ray in North America.
The film finds Parton playing a country singer stuck in a long-term contract at a sleazy country music nightclub. To get out of it, she makes a bet with the club’s owner that she can turn anyone into a country singer in just two weeks, but when the owner selects an obnoxious New York City cab driver (Stallone), she quickly has her work cut out for her.
Unfortunately, Rhinestone was a critical and commercial disappointment, although it did give Parton two top-ten country singles with Tennessee Homesick Blues and God Won’t Get You.
Stallone hasn’t always spoken highly of the film, saying it became more of a silly comedy that he wasn’t suited for. But he’s always maintained that it’s the most fun he’s ever had in a movie, and that’s because of Parton.
In her 1994 autobiography, Parton commented on the failure of Rhinestone, saying, “I guess the public didn’t want to see Sylvester Stallone do comedy – or see me do Sylvester Stallone.“
And while we’re talking Rhinestone, why not check out the latest installment of Awfully Good Movies from Jesse Shade, which takes aim at the glorious disaster. Check that out below.