Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 21, 2026

1982’s “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” has a cult following, with the movie’s reputation steadily developing in the decades since its original theatrical release. And there’s a reason for that, as the picture provides a pleasing shot of attitude, sold with interest in burgeoning feminist rebellion that went on to inspire a lot of musicians and viewers, especially in the alternative rock scene of the 1990s. There’s something here worth understanding and appreciating, but there’s also the reality of watching “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains,” which has been edited and rethought into near nothingness, putting director Lou Adler at odds with screenwriter Nancy Dowd (who disowned the film, credited here as “Rob Morton”), creating two very different dramatic approaches for the endeavor, and they don’t mix well. It’s a messy offering, just shy of being incomprehensible, speeding through major moments in life and maturity to hit simplistic points of pain, creating a wildly uneven viewing experience.

Orphaned and trapped in a depressed Pennsylvania factory town, teenager Corinne Burns (Diane Lane) is filled with rage and ready to leave her constrictive life behind. Corinne finds her inspiration when she catches punk band The Looters at a local club, taken with their attitude and sound. Asking for a break, Corinne’s amateur band, The Stains, formed with sister Tracy (Marin Kanter) and cousin Jessica (Laura Dern), joins the tour, opening up a whole new world for these impressionable young women. Using a highly charged stream of feminism and defiance to fuel the band, Corinne’s onstage rants lure the attention of the press, who turn The Stains into stars, complete with a legion of disaffected, lookalike fans who call themselves “skunks.” Finding her uneasy relationship with Looters singer Billy (Ray Winstone) is becoming a liability, Corinne takes the band to the next level of fame, threatening her own integrity when financial issues and publicity problems increase.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” pinpoints a time and place where rock and punk were brawling; an era when melodic rage spoke to a global community of outcasts, urging them to take control of the airwaves and jumpstart some type of revolution. Take “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” as a time machine to the late ‘70s, and the picture retains a pungent air of appetizing defiance, contrasting the intended vitriol of the sounds with the inhospitable music business machine, which willingly chews up and spits out any statement, no matter the integrity.

Adler and “Rob Morton” are reaching for a cautionary tale/satire of the music industry, following The Stains on their shockingly meteoric rise (we’re talking a single month) from pitiable teenage girls who loathe authority figures to voices of a generation. The band uses their punk haircuts and style to spawn a horde of “skunks,” who take Corinne’s feminist message (“I don’t put out”) seriously, turning the band into a religion. The concept of “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” is crystal clear, but the execution of the film is a disorganized splatter of motivations, studio- mandated recutting, and half-realized subplots. Basically, the final cut of “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” is an 88-minute-long trailer for a better feature that most likely once existed on the page.

However bewildering the final product is, Adler does retain an impressive feel for the scrappy story, harnessing the raw power of the musical acts while observing their confused state of mind on the road. With a cast that includes Fee Waybill of The Tubes (playing an aging, delusional rocker), Paul Simonon of The Clash, and Paul Cook and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, there’s a certain verisimilitude to the film that mercifully overcomes the feeble storytelling.

The performance footage is perhaps the defining characteristic of “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains,” from the punk roar of The Looters (with their hit, “Join the Professionals”) to the semi-performance art meow of The Stains, who can barely play their instruments, yet magically carry a message that’s more influential than any stack of amps. While Adler unfortunately spends some of the action lingering on close-ups of breasts and crotches, he nevertheless achieves a low-budget wonderland of snarled stances and careless, road-weary heartbreak. If only the picture had an ounce of narrative clarity to accompany infrequent bursts of atmospheric energy.

The chopped, redubbed, and second-guessed look of the film is irritating (the MTV parody ending, shot a year after principal photography concluded, is exceptionally perplexing), taking long, hard looks at characters and impulses in some scenes, while leaving the rest a shortchanged, deeply monotonous blur. Still, no matter how much the plot is bungled and streamlined, it’s impossible to extinguish the iconic performance of Diane Lane, who, at just 15 years of age, puts forth brave, credible work as the instigator of a sheer-blouse revolution. She’s all angst and broad crimson makeup, triumphantly conveying cutthroat rage inside a diminutive package, making the authentic punk attitude of the cast seem cute by comparison.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains" comes to UHD after skipping a traditional Blu-ray release. The features carries an inherently grungy, low- budget look, which is supported during the viewing experience. Skin particulars are appreciable, exploring differences in age, and makeup additions are defined. Costuming is fibrous, with heavier leathers and winter coats, and intended sheerness is preserved. Interiors are dimensional, examining living spaces, bus activity, and performance halls, preserving crowd action and appearances. Exteriors maintain decent depth. Color is understood, contrasting the coldness of the outside world with the Stains and their "skunk" look and bright red makeup. Stage lighting and signage offers more varied hues. Skin tones are natural. Blacks are deep. Highlights are muted. Grain is heavy but decently managed. Source is in acceptable condition, but a few brief moments of pixelation occur around 38:00.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix certainly prioritizes soundtrack selections and performances, giving band action a heavier, larger presence, especially with tunes from The Looters. Instrumentation is acceptable, and music pushes out into the surrounds at times. The rest of "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains" isn't quite as stable, with inherent recording issues and age limiting the rest of the track, including some brief volume fluctuations. Dialogue exchanges are intelligible. Atmospherics are limited, with some concert activity. Low-end isn't challenged.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features actresses Diane Lane and Laura Dern.

• Commentary #2 features director Lou Adler.

• Commentary #3 features film historians Jake Fogelnest and Marc Edward Heuck.

• Commentary #4 features film historian Marc Edward Heuck.

• "The Fabulous Stains: Behind the Movie" (10:58, SD) is a short but wonderfully candid making-of for the film from 2004, directed by Sam Green and Sarah Jacobson, featuring interviews with cast and crew from the picture.

• "I Was Command Central, Man" (17:11) is an audio interview with "Night Flight" co-creator Stuart Shapiro.

• "Alternate Opening Title Sequence" (4:24, HD) is offered. It can be viewed with the original film soundtrack or commentary from by Jonathan Hertzberg and Marc Edward Heuck.

• Deleted Scenes (HD) include "Bathroom" (:53), "T.V. News Broadcast #1" (2:06), "Motel Room #1" (2:27), "Bamboo Room and Motel Room #2" (2:51), and "Parking Lot" (:51), "T.V. News Broadcast #2" (:44), "Stu Interviews Corinne" (:54), and "Billy Looks for Corinne" (:57). The scenes are presented without sound or with commentary by Jonathan Hertzberg and Marc Edward Heuck.

• "Reel of Dailies" (16:08, HD) provides footage from the shooting of "The Professionals" music video, which also represents the reshoot period on the film. It's an interesting look at how a music video is actually created, blending musical playback, light choreography, and actresses looking incredibly awkward (and slightly perturbed) as they pretend to play pop stars. Audio is included, which contains some points of damage.

• Image Gallery (14:11) collects marketing art, film stills, publicity shots, BTS snaps, and press kit pages.

• "Night Flight Intro" (1:13, HD) promotes a T.V. airing of "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains."

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:40, HD) is included.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains" is a decent retro experience, but far from a competent feature film. Still, even with the plot in complete disarray and budget moviemaking limitations revealed all too easily, the picture remains a curiosity and an essential musical mile marker. Bear with it for a glimpse of a pre-internet world of packaged revolution and to spy a provoked Lane, taking some of her first steps toward a flawed but fascinating acting career.