American Reel on AllMovie

A struggling singer/songwriter finds himself faced with the prospect of overnight success after languishing in the music industry for twenty years in this musical drama directed by In the Company of Men producer Mark Archer. James Lee Springer (David Carradine)'s talent is genuine - as genuine as his talent for getting into fisticuffs with the smarmy record executives who could make or break his career. Now Springer's career has finally caught fire, but in order to truly break big he must listen to the advice of his pragmatic longtime manager and best friend Jason (Michael Maloney) lest he learn the hard way that fame doesn't come without a mighty high price tag.