Kylie. Julie Aspinall
favourite TV star was showing an altogether less wholesome side. One commercial for the film was banned on British television because, according to the IBA and ITV Association, it ‘contained material that was too near the knuckle’. (The clip in question had Kylie gazing at Charlie and saying, ‘Make love to me,’ followed by the comment, ‘I love the way he looks when he’s just about to …’)
Kylie herself reacted angrily to the ban and defended her character. ‘Lola is very powerful and very sensitive and she goes through a lot of changes,’ she insisted. ‘I felt there was something there I could grab hold of, whereas a lot of the scripts that were offered to me before were pretty crummy. There were a lot of seductive scenes and that sort of stuff and a lot of the characters that were a complete copy of Charlene and I wanted to get away from that.’
And then there was Kylie’s ambition. With every success she’s had in her life – and with every failure, too – Kylie’s ambition has grown and now, with her first film on the go, her desire to succeed was more intense than ever. ‘I always think there’s more to do,’ she said. ‘And I’ve got so much more to learn. This is my first film. I’ve never done theatre; I’ve never done songwriting; I haven’t done much live work. There’s a multitude of things to do. I’m interested in things outside of entertainment as well, and although I feel older than 21, I have to remind myself that I am 21 and I’ve got a lot of years ahead.
‘This was my big one, my debut. You can’t do a debut again, can you? You only get one chance at it. I think I was a little bit nervous because there are so many expectations of me. But I’d just like to do a good job for myself.’
Kylie admitted, however, that it was a big change for her image to go from sweet little Charlene to raunchy ol’ Lola. ‘When I think everyone’s going to see it, it makes me blush,’ she admitted happily. ‘But I still feel I’ve done the right thing. You don’t see me completely nude. And at least I feel like I’ve grown up. I don’t think I’ll lose any fans. I may gain wider acceptance.’
And then the film opened. For an all-too-brief spell, it looked as if The Delinquents might actually do well. It took about £1 million in its first few days and looked as if it might even overshadow Batman, which had also just come out. A Warner Brothers spokeswoman declared, ‘We don’t have exact figures but The Delinquents has had a huge opening. It’s not as good as Batman yet, but it’s definitely up there.’
And then reality hit. One review (one of the kinder reviews, at that) put the film straight into the top ten worst movies of 1989. ‘Poor old Kylie,’ it said. ‘She loses her virginity at 15 to a teenage rebel. Her mother drags her off the train taking the couple to a new life and forces pregnant Kylie to have an abortion. And that’s just for starters! I imagine we’re supposed to take this load of old Australian codswallop seriously. But you would need a heart of stone not to laugh helplessly at the ludicrous plot and awful acting. Kylie’s fans will probably love every awful minute. Others should avoid it like the plague.’
Most critics were harsher still. ‘Images stick in the gullet,’ snapped one. ‘The 15-year-old Kylie character Lola (cliché Lolita connotations here) being driven to the abortion clinic by her evil and selfish mother; Lola staggering out after the abortion, barely able to walk; sheet tossing sex scenes every five minutes (or so it seems) after boy meets girl; bare breasts and buttocks; sex, sex and more sex, with Kylie’s crackling and cockatoo whooping.’ And from another: ‘Pulp fiction manipulated by an army of fat cats counting shekels behind the myth that is Minogue.’ And another: ‘Ultimately, The Delinquents is a weakly handled, insubstantial film. Kylie has as much acting charisma as cold porridge.’
Poor Kylie. It wasn’t what she had expected at all and although the film briefly topped the charts in Britain and got to number three in Australia, it flopped in the United States and is now remembered as a severe embarrassment for all concerned. More recently, nude shots were published in the newspapers that were actually stills from the film of Kylie lying naked on a bed. The star did not take this reminder of her past very well; she was absolutely furious. ‘The last thing Kylie needs is someone digging out old pictures to ruin things for her,’ a friend told the press.
The pictures ruined nothing (these days the great viewing public is far more interested in the mature Kylie’s bottom than the ingénue Kylie’s nakedness) but they certainly reminded Kylie of a film she would really rather forget. And even back then, as the reception to The Delinquents became increasingly hostile, she quickly started sounding more resigned as to whether her fans would like the film or not. She also hastily started talking about her next project – a second album called Enjoy Yourself with Stock, Aitken and Waterman. As a matter of fact, all things considered, Kylie was appearing remarkably upbeat for a woman whose cinematic debut had been so well and truly panned. At first, onlookers put it down to the resumption of her musical career. But her latest collaboration with her mentors was not the only thing putting a spring in Kylie’s step – something, or rather, someone – was providing a distraction from the dismal reviews, too. Kylie’s relationship with Jason was – unbeknownst to the latter – finally at an end. She had met another man.
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