Can't remember the back story of actual story, but movie didn't even begin to address how Cher's character was supposed to be coming up with money to pay for rent, food, clothing and nonstop entertaining. Would be nice to think that a heart of gold motorcycle mama lived for free while raising challenged son but I suspect the realities of case were a mite more sordid and less sympathetic. Anyone know?
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If you are subtly suggesting that she was a prostitute, I totally agree. She may have received cash gifts and illegal drugs from the bikers she was "entertaining." Something tells me she was not your typical white collar 9 to 5'er! That poor, poor basterd...
shareEither that or a drug dealer. (Or something else illegal. . . although it doesn't make much sense that a dealer with friends like that would have to go out to bars to score drugs.) Film's utter failure to address anything about her hazy means of support injected a phony note that pulled otherwise gritty movie into realm of rough-around-the-edges feel-good fairy tale.
shareI disagree, I don't think everything has to be spelled out in films. I think we can safely assume her bikie friends were supporting her lifestyle as well as possibly some illegal activity on her own part. The storyline doesn't require that the audience are explicitly told this.
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i believe she was a prostitute also, she never seemed to be working, she got drugs from guys and hired a hooker for Rocky, and was stoned most of the time.
sharei believe she was a prostitute also, she never seemed to be working, she got drugs from guys and hired a hooker for Rocky, and was stoned most of the time.
Rusty was a go-go dancer and a psychic reader. That is how she made her money.
Vincent Schiavelli 1948~2005 RIP
Heath Ledger 1979~2008 RIP
Is go-go dancer polite for stripper? Is psychic reader polite for scam artist? I love Rusty, but she needed rehab in the worst way...
shareNot all psychics are scam artists. At least she made a living doing something other than drug dealing or prostitution like others have assumed in this thread. Being a stripper or psychic is not illegal therefore can be classed as an honest living.
Anyway, who are you to judge?
Vincent Schiavelli 1948~2005 RIP
Heath Ledger 1979~2008 RIP
Not all psychics are scam artists, but most are. Not all strippers sleep around and do drugs, but most do.
I am jonathantoddsmith, glad to meet you
There you go sterotyping again.
Rusty brought up a well adjusted, decent young man. She could have turned her back on him and put him in an institution but she chose to love and care for her son. She isn't as bad as you are making her out to be.
Vincent Schiavelli 1948~2005 RIP
Heath Ledger 1979~2008 RIP
Whatever you say, Miss Millie. I can't stand it when people jump to conclusions about others that they haven't even met or known. Some people should try researching a subject instead of making judgements and slandering comments.
Vincent Schiavelli 1948~2005 RIP
Heath Ledger 1979~2008 RIP
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There is no denying that Rusty did do some good in her life. Its just that the bad outweighed the good.
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How did 'the bad outweigh the good'? Just because she was an addict?
That doesn't automatically make her into a bad person.
Yes, she was too gruff with Rocky at times. She never should have hit him, and she needed to grow up. I suspect she would have acted this way even if sober.
She wasn't perfect, but she loved her son deeply & raised him to be a kind, shockingly well-adjusted young man.
The real Rusty Dennis had 2 sons. The first died of AIDS, from a blood trasnfusion.
Then she has a son with a fatal, rackingly-painful super rare condition.
I'd drink too, perhaps even dabble in drugs. My God, what that woman went through watching her children suffer then DIE.
When she had her real-life motorcycle crash, she reportedly said something like this, as she lay terribly injured: "I can't take it anymore. I just want to be done." as she wept uncontrollably.
I hope she's resting in peace, with BOTH her sons at last.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
Clearly she kept the kid as a way to make more money, more welfare have him sell drugs when he is still a minor etc etc
When she isn't turning tricks she be out there getting people to feel sorry for her, get some charity scam going
I heard that she sold Rock's skeleton to UCLA medical school...and wrote it off on her taxes...
shareLOL, you're all pathetic
Vincent Schiavelli 1948~2005 RIP
Heath Ledger 1979~2008 RIP
I agree. I guess everybody has their own idea of "trash." A lot of people on this board seem to look down their nose at the way Rusty made a living. I, personally, don't find anything she did half as trashy as people who piously and self-righteously judge others.
We'll see who's the filthiest person alive! We'll just see!
With a condition like that, you would want your kid to studied for medical research. It's a shame Rocky had to suffer with the consequences of this condition, but it didn't keep him from trying to succeed and be loved by those closest to him. Hopefully, by doing studies on his skull, they learned some things that could figure out what the hell they could do to repair an individual with this condition or reverse it while the kid's young & not in danger.
Cher & Stoltz did a hell of a job in this movie acting wise. Demonstrated true emotions that would be affected by anyone with deformity or dealing with a family member who struggles with deformity.
Don't you think that her drug use was a direct result of having to deal with Rocky? I mean come on here, my mother said to me on occasion that I was "driving her to drink" and I did not have half the problems that Rocky presented.
shareIt was part of the reason why she took so many drugs. Most people on here don't comprehend real life. Also, she clearly wasn't dealing drugs as she was always on drugs. People that takes drugs, don't usually sell them.
shareIt was part of the reason why she took so many drugs. Most people on here don't comprehend real life. Also, she clearly wasn't dealing drugs as she was always on drugs. People that takes drugs, don't usually sell them.
shareI'm sure in real life, she received benefits from the state for Rocky - that was prolly enough to cover rent, food, and basic bills.
On the side, I'm sure she worked random odd jobs part-time: Waitress, gas station clerk/attendant...
And other less savory activities amongst the bike club; while I doubt she was a "straight-up" known prostitute, my guess is she received cash randomly from a lot of the bikers.
Same with her drug-use - usually females that are at least semi-attractive, and especially if "part of a club like that," don't have to pay for most of their drugs. I'm sure the real-life version of Gar (probably a collection of guys rather than just one), was more than happy to keep her high while having a place to stay (paid for by previously mentioned state-benefits - which, if you have a handicapped child, are more than generous enough to pay a rent/mortgage payment of 500-800/mont), and good poosy to knockdown at will.
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A go-go dancer doesn't strip, although she may wear skimpy clothing.
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I am assuming that Rocky was declared disabled by the state so probably Rusty is getting some federal and-or state assistance, at least for Rocky's medical expenses (which must've been a small fortune).
shareHere is a little more info I found on her financial situation. She wasn't totally reliant on welfare. She did her bit to make ends meet and Rocky helped too.
"Money, in fact, was a problem for the pair. Although the two received welfare and state medical benefits, and some of Rocky's bills were covered by genetic research organizations, Rusty had to work as a go-go dancer and door-to-door saleswoman to pay for her son's annual week-long examinations at the Medical Genetics Clinic at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Rocky did his part by taking baby-sitting jobs. Children, Rusty says, weren't put off by his deformity."
Vincent Schiavelli 1948~2005 RIP
Heath Ledger 1979~2008 RIP
Rocky received SS and his mother probably received Medicaid, WIC, section 8, foodstamps, etc.
shareonly 1 person said welfare, & that's the 1st thing I thought of when I read this post.
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THERE IS NO BETTER LOVE!
I've just watched this movie for the umpteenth time. Every time I've seen it, I've wondered how the depiction of Florence "Rusty" Dennis fits with the real woman portrayed by Cher.
It's the first time I've looked into the facts instead of taking the movie for granted. I am somewhat familiar with the biker culture and what I know about bikers, and this movie, and the facts behind the movie, reinforces my belief that the characters portrayed in the movie are, for the most part, real.
I believe that Rusty Dennis was a stripper and a drug user who did the best she could and she did a helluva job with what she was handed in this life. She's no Harriet Nelson, but lets face it, Harriet had Wally and the Beaver, not Rocky.
My point is that someone who exists in what most of us would categorize as "low life" less than respectable behavior wouldn't be expected to do as well for Rocky as this woman did. Others have pointed out that Rocky didn't end up such a happy, loving, admirable child in spite of his handicaps without a decent upbringing.
The movie makes it clear that he had no father figure other than the males in the biker "family" (a kid could do a lot worse)
Hate her for being a stripper. Hate her for doing drugs. Hell, hate her for being a biker chick. One thing you can't say is that she didn't do enough for her son.
Pure balderdash! I have seen this movie more than anybody on this board (including MPS161 and Beebopthedog). If I was dealt the short straw in life and ended up with a horribly disfigured child, I would have done the exact opposite of what she did. Instead of feeling sorry for myself with a damned defeatest attitude and somebody with a victim's mentality who simply took the easy way out by stripping, stealing, lying to Gar, doing enough drugs to kill an elephant and sleaping with every sleazeball biker she laid eyes on, I would have been more like will Smith from The Pursuit of Happyness. He worked hard and make a good life for boh of them without being a junkie. If Rocky had any goodness in him at all, it came from the biker semen his mother was impregnated with. Shove it!
shareThat was the first thing I thought too. Today they call it SSI, or Supplemental Security Income. I think back then in California it was ATD: Aid for the totally disabled.
I wasn't aware Rusty had another older son who was gay and later died of AIDS. I don't think he was portrayed in the movie.
welfare & food stamps. the prostitution was for her drugs.
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run,run,run. fast as u can. u can't catch me I'm the ginger bread man.
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But if she was a prostitute, she wouldn't have needed to scan the choices at the bar when she was looking for someone for Rocky. She would have just known someone.
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Rusty was a nice Jewish girl. Why all the hate? I thought she was a small time drug dealer and/or go go dancer. It didn't matter to me. It was just a movie.
If she was a prostitute she would have known one to hire for Rocky. I can't blame Rocky for being a little hurt that his mom hired a hooker for him. I would have been hurt if it happened to me. But I would not have turned the hooker away. I hate to see anything go to waste.
I think the guys all loved Rocky so much they contributed what they could to raise him.
shareRusty was a nice Jewish girl. Why all the hate? I thought she was a small time drug dealer and/or go go dancer. Maybe she was a waitress or a barmaid. It didn't matter to me. It was just a movie.
If she was a prostitute she would have known one to hire for Rocky. I can't blame Rocky for being a little hurt that his mom hired a hooker for him. I would have been hurt if it happened to me. But I would not have turned the hooker away. I hate to see anything go to waste.
Rusty was a bartender
shareAll the speculation in this thread is fairly ridiculous. I never thought the lack of a steady income source was all that obvious a problem in the film. It wasn't like Rocky and Dennis were living in luxury, just a basic working-class house, a few drugs, baseball cards, and t-shirts. I've known plenty of people who lived this kind of marginal existence. Rusty probably floated from job to job (bartending is mentioned by Gar at one point as part of her past, as last poster mentioned), getting fired or quitting whenever she got sick of it. Combine this with the disability checks (or whatever kind of state support they probably got) and a little help from Dad and Gar, and it isn't that hard to see how they "made" it (although if this is making it, we've set the bar pretty low). You can speculate about stripping or drug dealing on the side if you want; I just don't think it's necessary in order to believe this movie.
shareDon't want to get off the subject too much, but in today's Los Angeles area, Rusty would probably have a tough time affording a house like what she lived in! Something like that is probably worth $400K now, even in places like Reseda and Azusa! Unemployment or welfare checks hoe'ing, and even a drug deal here and there will not get you a cute little 50's era house in L.A. and certainly not the Bay Area anymore!
And like I said before, Rusty and Gar and all those bikers were likable and loving people that seemed rough around the edges, but of course, such is not the case for most biker culture and the real Rusty dissed the movie and probably never met Cher or much less had any desire to. And later on, the more "respectable", middle-class people are portrayed as snobby and narrow-minded like Laura Dern's parents were in it.
Portraying the middle class as snobby and narrow minded is not that damned far fetched just read some of these post.
fat pink mast!
And like I said before, Rusty and Gar and all those bikers were likable and loving people that seemed rough around the edges, but of course, such is not the case for most biker culture and the real Rusty dissed the movie and probably never met Cher or much less had any desire to. And later on, the more "respectable", middle-class people are portrayed as snobby and narrow-minded like Laura Dern's parents were in it.
Can you please tell me how Rusty dissed this movie, when the following article from '86 states that Rusty felt Cher was in fact "brilliant"?http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-05-11/features/8602030023_1_ch er-rocky-dennis-real-life