Starstruck (1982) / Comedy-Musical

MPAA Rated: PG for brief nudity, language, drinking and smoking involving teens
Running Time: 95 min.

Cast: Jo Kennedy, Ross O'Donovan, Margo Lee, Max Cullen, Pat Evison, John O'May, Dennis Miller, Norm Erskine
Small role: Geoffrey Rush
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Screenplay: Stephen MacLean
Review published May 20, 2014

Starstruck will likely hit home for lovers of the early MTV era, as it is, more or less, a new wave film for those who love New Wave music. It's a cult film which generally means that a few will readily connect with it while the majority of filmgoers will not. Alas, the inventive and skillfully edited musical interludes are the highlight, while the in-between stuff is just too scattershot to properly engage viewers looking for a good story to hang on to.

The Sydney-based story, such as it is, involves the young and exuberant would-be pop star Jackie Mullins (Kennedy, Wrong World), whose rambunctious 14-year-old cousin Angus (O'Donovan, Phar Lap) serves as her manager and songwriter. Angus thinks Jackie can make it if she can just grab the attention of the right people, and he's not above setting up a publicity stunt or two in order to make it happen. However, the cost of fame might actually cost her her friends, which puts them at a crossroads on just how far they're willing to go to succeed in the music world.

Gillian Armstrong (Little Women, Charlotte Gray) directs this very Aussie production, which sporadically turns into a musical from time to time, shot, choreographed, and edited with the style of music videos of its time. Some have compared it to the kinds of innocuous movies that Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland would often make together, especially in its "putting on a show to save everyone" premise. Though it features teens and is blessed with a PG rating, its brief nudity, a bit of ribald humor, and teen drinking/smoking, and language would definitely push into a hard PG-13 or soft R today.

KKitschy punk posters and neon-flavored fashion are showcased throughout, as this film evokes that thoroughly 1980s feel that makes it "of its era", and will certainly be if special interest to viewers inclined to like that punky design aesthetic. Stephen McLean (20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Ways) scripts, but it's a film that runs far more on its quirky personalities than through anything you'd find in its plot or conversations, most of which are muddled to near incomprehension.

Starstruck is definitely one of those films you fall in love with or you end up shutting it off long before the end credits. The film is filled with lots of non-actors known more for their singing and dancing prowess, so don't go in looking for stellar performances. However, do keep an eye out for Geoffrey Rush (Shine) in a bit part as a floor manager. If you value films that stimulate your eyes and ears more so than your thirst for an absorbing, well-constructed tale, this may be your bag of hip nostalgia. If not, you'll likely find this to be an ambitious but trifling mess.

Qwipster's rating:

©2014 Vince Leo