Rochelle, Rochelle is a fictional film from the television show Seinfeld. While the show introduced many fictional films (notably Prognosis Negative), Rochelle took on a life of its own. The film is never shown, but characters are portrayed watching it; the dialogue indicates it is a cheesy erotic romance that aspires to be artsy and European, as also evinced by the movie's tagline "A young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk".
History
Rochelle, Rochelle is introduced in the Season Four episode, The Movie. Through a comedy of errors, everyone (but Kramer) misses the movie they were originally going to see, Checkmate and end up in Rochelle, Rochelle.
Later in season four, The Smelly Car, George rents Rochelle, Rochelle on video, and to avoid rewind charges, keeps the video an extra day. The video is then stolen from the smelly car, and George is required to pay $98 to replace it. While at the video store, George sees Susan and her lesbian girlfriend for the first time.
The Season Six episode The Understudy featured a Broadway musical adaptation of Rochelle starring Bette Midler, who appeared in the episode. The plot is inspired by the Nancy Kerrigan beating. Jerry is dating Midler's understudy; in a softball game between his favorite comedy club's team and the team of Rochelle cast members, Midler is injured, and people accuse Jerry of masterminding the event so his girlfriend can go on. In typical Seinfeld fashion, the episode has about five separate plot lines that converge at the end, in which we see Bette Midler perform the title number in her hospital bed. Lyrics:
"Well you made a long journey from Milan to Minsk, Rochelle Rochelle. You never stopped hoping. now you're in the Pinsk, Rochelle Rochelle. When the nay sayers nay you picked up your pace. You said nothing's going to stop me so get out of my face. I'm having adventures all over the place, Rochelle ROCHELLE!"
In another bit inspired by the Kerrigan attack, the episode ends as the understudy stops the show when she realizes her boot is untied, à la Tonya Harding.