Patti Rocks

Plot

In Minneapolis just before Christmas, Billy persuades his old friend Eddie, who he has not seen for six months, to listen to his story. Working on barges down the Mississippi, he met and slept with Patti, who now says she is pregnant. As she refuses to talk on the phone, he wants a friend to go with him while he explains to her that he has a wife and two children. The pair drive through the night, drinking beer and talking crudely about women. At a stop, when an older woman challenges Billy to have sex with her, his machismo is revealed as immature bluster.

Arriving at Patti's apartment after midnight, she tells them she will have the baby and wants nothing from Billy. Then she shuts herself in her bedroom. Billy begs Eddie to speak to her and she lets him in. After talking about each other's lonely lives, he divorced and she preferring freedom, tenderly they make love. Billy looks in and sees he is no longer wanted. As he prepares to drive Eddie home, Patti takes a photograph of him to give to the child one day. When Eddie asks, Patti says he can call again.

Reception

A sympathetic review said: Karen Landry's portrait of Patti is the best thing about this film. Independent and confident, she decides to have the baby regardless of Billy. With sensitivity, she proves to the burnt-out and self-denigrating Eddie that he is still lovable. As another report on the battle of the sexes, Patti Rocks proves that immature men will always be losers.