Clubland (1999) (R)

synopsis

Clubland is about 22-year-old KENNEDY JOHNSON, an aspiring singer/songwriter and his notoriously unsuccessful brother, KING who raised him after their mother died. King convinces Kennedy to let him manage his band and Kennedy moves from Riverside to Hollywood to join his brother in the hopes of connecting with a record company. While begging for the chance to play at Billboard Live, a hip and trendy Sunset Boulevard nightclub, Kennedy reluctantly supports himself as a waiter. Kennedy, who is obsessed with his music, is supported in his aspirations by his fellow waitperson SOPHIE SAKS, and at first is unable to fully appreciate her beyond a friendship. King, on the other hand, is doing his usual hustling for himself and the band and getting nowhere fast. When Kennedy gets the chance to prove his talent in public, doors start to open for him and he realizes that his business relationship with his brother is holding him back. Meanwhile, King has managed to negotiate some major accommodations for the band which trap him in a confrontation with a mobster that could be detrimental to Kennedy and the success of the band.