It's impossible to watch this peculiarly unstirring account of the collapse of a bedraggled, bedrugged rock star... without getting many a giggle out of the abundant cliches and superfluous howlers.

The Rose isn't big but enormous.

The Rose wouldn't work without the full commitment of Midler, who always seems poised between a bawdy guffaw and thick mascara tears.

Bette Midler's turn as the self-destructive yet sympathetic Rose is a tour de force, and there are nice contributions from Frederic Forrest and, in one powerhouse scene, Harry Dean Stanton.