Starstruck

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Audience Member An Australian coming of age teen flick about trying to make it being a star Jo Kennedy plays Sydney; she dreams of being big as a rock singer in the 1980s She has assistance from her 14 year old cousin who's an oddball though Sydney hates working in her mothers failing pub and she's willing to chase her dreams even if it goes against her families wishes She wants to make her own decisions The film has good music, rocking tunes, a good lead and essentially plays like a musical A fairytale that doesn't forget the heart of the story The family in here is quite likable too Director Gillian Armstrong avoids many cliches while still delivering a romping good time with a fever dream quality Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Honestly this film was so awkward and creepy it actually made me feel queasy! I dont get it?! - Gillian Anderson created such international masterpieces and is no stranger to strong, interesting complex female characters - as well as adaptations of literary classics like Miles Franklins' My Brilliant Career, or Henry Jame's Portrait of a Lady, not to mention modern literary masterpiece's like Peter Weir's Oscar and Luscinda! She has worked with some of the best international actors as well as home grown Aussie ones - Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, John Malkovich, Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hersey, Judy Davis, Sam Neil. In fact I would say the strong redhead female is a prototype in her films. And they are BEAUTIFUL characters ! Oi! But this was RUBBISH! The main actress is terrible, whinny, irritatingly donning a fake juvenile little girl voice and fake, she is not believable likeable in anyway and can't act (although she CAN sing). Its such a shame because I would say Gillian Armstrong is on par with Peter Weir in terms of internationally renowned QUALITY film directors. What on earth was she thinking making this toss? lol. Its almost like the film doesn't know what genre it is - with orchestrated, surreal, choreographed bar scenes similar to Rocky Horror Picture Show (note 'pelvic thrust' move in Lizard lounge aka 'The Time Warp'), Mullholland Drive or even A Clockwork Orange... and then it immediately cuts to mundane, creep old men, poorly acted Aussie street scenes and family scenes like a poor season of Neighbours or Home and Away. Poor Gillian! She must be ashamed of this one. It doesn't even seem to have a purpose or a message and just goes nowhere. Its annoying too because when you travel overseas its bad films and TV like this that make people talk condescendingly to Aussies and think we are all dumb, fake and sexist like this really embarrassing film. But in fact Peter Weir's Oscar and Lucinda is better than any modern British writer's book and Miles Franklin's My Brilliant Career is simply just as good as turn of the century British writers like E M Forster. Full stop. A poor representation of Australian culture, cinema and music. And more to the point a poor representation of Gillian Anderson's otherwise remarkable career. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member I LOVE this movie! It stands the test of time for sure. Singing, inflatable sharks, sequins, all wrapped up in a sweet story with an amazing soundtrack. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member It's so cheesey, but I love cheese. Great soundtrack great fun And top marks to Ross O'Donovan and Jo Kennedy which I think was their first acting gigs and Ross's last. Well done Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Charming, colorful Australian musical comedy with fun songs and an energetic cast. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Australian 1980s new wave musical that predates and reminded me a lot of Julien Temple's "Absolute Beginners" with it's eye-popping colors and bright musical numbers. The musical version of "Hairspray" also reminded me a lot of this film, though this film, unlike "Absolute Beginners" and "Hairspray" is very much an 80s new wave picture. The story is fairly mundane, about a young singer, Jo Kennedy, who wants to make it as a star. The film was directed by Gillian Armstrong before she came to America and was also an early film of ace cinematographer Russell Boyd. Overall, it's forgettable, but quite entertaining. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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