Starstruck

One of the best original rock musicals! I have just seen the DVD release, having not seen the movie in about 20 years and it holds up very well. It is not at all dated. All of the songs, except for the one which is intentionally bad, are great memorable songs...apparently thanks to Phil Judd of The Swingers. Casting really makes the film. Great chemistry between the two cousins Jackie (Joe Kennedy) and Angus (Ross O Donovan).

Although the plot is somewhat thin, as is typical for this type of movie, it moves along quite nicely and has good light-hearted humor.

See the movie, you will not be disappointed.

Fun comedy musical with a quirky mix of retro kitsch and early 1980s New Wave music and styles.

Bright and talented aspiring singer Jackie Mullens (played by the bright and talented Jo Kennedy) wants to make it in showbiz, aided and abetted by her precocious 14-year-old cousin/manager/songwriter Angus (Ross O'Donovan). The Mullens family members seem to have showbiz backgrounds (ballroom dancing and fortune telling) but now all live in, and run, a cool kitschy pub next to the Sydney harbour bridge that caters to a boisterous working-class crowd. Jackie is romantically pursued by Robbie (Ned Lander) from her backing band, while she is infatuated with TV talent show host Terry (John O'May).

Kennedy and O'Donovan are fantastic in the lead roles. Kennedy is a great singer, and the various musical numbers work really well. Some songs are presented like early 1980s music videos, others take inspiration from Busby Berkeley.

I saw this movie when it was originally released in America in the early 1980's. I enjoyed the film quite a bit and eventually bought the soundtrack. I just rented the film on video and it still holds up for me after all these years. It is still simple, quirky, vibrant and lively just as I remembered it. The characters are well drawn and very unique and the dance numbers are just as quirky as the rest of the movie. The "Body and Soul" number in the pub literally gets everyone in on the act and it is a highlight of the film for me. I read where director Gillian Armstrong said the reason she made the film after scoring with a period piece like "My Brilliant Career" is because she wanted to do something unusual and little unexpected. She (and all involved) very much succeed. The soundtrack has 1980's style new wave influenced pop. Whether you enjoy the rest of the movie will probably depend on whether you enjoy that style of music. If you do, give this movie a look, if you do not, then pass on it.

I have not seen Starstruck since it's original run in the theaters but I love this movie and hope to see it again soon. I was really into new wave music at the time, especially what was coming from Manchester and Birmingham, and Dublin. I liked some Aussie bands like the Sharks but mostly I liked Aussie movies which were just starting to make an impact in America in the early 80's. Movies like Breaker Morant, Mad Max, Walkabout, Young Einstein, Gallipoli, and Starstruck. Although I have never been to Australia I have been intrigued by the quirky sense of humor I find in Aussie films. Strictly Ballroom a decade later was much in the same tradition, it had the same spirit as Starstruck. What happened to Aussie cinema? It seems that there are many Australian actors like Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe who take themselves so seriously and mostly act in Hollywood films playing non Australians. Even Peter Weir is no longer making Australian movies. I say bring em back!

I saw this during the Australian wave of films. I was being inundated on sort of dark pieces and this was an eye opener to say the least. I hadn't expected such a bright and lively piece. This is a wonderful piece of work. Everything fits. The cast is perfect. Each so in tune with their roles, each ringing true in dialogue and action. The music is both stylistically correct and true to the genre. Many times tunes written for movies that are rock or pop oriented turn out to be lame, musically incorrect, or both. This is not the case here.

Gillian Armstrong shows an airy touch, while still maintaining that solid control of characters and visually precise scene setup she has demonstrated in other films, such as "My Brilliant Career" and the sadly overlooked "Oscar and Lucinda". All in all this is an enjoyable experience. Nothing earthshattering or profound but good workmanship and totally fun.