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Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

  • 1987
  • Not Rated
  • 43m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
BiographyDramaMusicShort

Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 1970s.Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 1970s.Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 1970s.

  • Director
    • Todd Haynes
  • Writers
    • Cynthia Schneider
    • Todd Haynes
  • Stars
    • Merrill Gruver
    • Michael Edwards
    • Melissa Brown
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    3.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Todd Haynes
    • Writers
      • Cynthia Schneider
      • Todd Haynes
    • Stars
      • Merrill Gruver
      • Michael Edwards
      • Melissa Brown
    • 44User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Top cast19

    Edit
    Merrill Gruver
    • Karen
    • (voice)
    Michael Edwards
    Michael Edwards
    • Richard
    • (voice)
    Melissa Brown
    • Mother
    • (voice)
    Rob LaBelle
    Rob LaBelle
    • Mr. A&M
    • (voice)
    • …
    Nannie Doyle
    • Cherry
    • (voice)
    Cynthia Schneider
    • Dionne
    • (voice)
    Larry Kole
    • Announcer
    • (voice)
    Gwen Kraus
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Bruce Tuthill
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Joanne Barnett
    • Self - Singer
    Todd Haynes
    Todd Haynes
    • Todd Donovan, Disc Jockey
    Moira McCarty
      Laurie Stone
        Michele Manenti
        • Michelle Hoyt, Musician
        • (as Michelle Manenti)
        Celia Pearce
          Barbara Epler
            Sarah Varnoe
              Richard Nixon
              Richard Nixon
              • Self - President of the United States
              • (archive footage)
              • (uncredited)
              • Director
                • Todd Haynes
              • Writers
                • Cynthia Schneider
                • Todd Haynes
              • All cast & crew
              • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

              User reviews44

              7.73.4K
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              Featured reviews

              rannofxcid

              Brilliance and barbie dolls

              I found out about this movie in the 50 greatest cult films issue of Entertainment Weekly. It sounded like a funny, semi-serious biography of Karen Carpenter, whose music I do happen to enjoy. When I finally watched it, I realized that the movie was a very serious and in depth look at anorexia. It's haunting, brilliant, moving, and touching. I had never seen the life of an anorexic person played out so well as by that barbie doll. It's a shame that this film has not been widely distributed, because it's a darn fine movie that is very educational.
              9fredk_us

              Richard and Mattel aren't amused at the honesty of anorexia.

              Part 1: An important film by one of the few AIDS-awareness directors. All of Todd Haynes' films/stories symbolize the alienation, decay, and whenever possible, rebirth, of the gay man vis-a-vis AIDS. We've lost so many to AIDS, and although today the horror slumbers often, the story here is just as gripping. Combining the details of Karen Carpenter's existence with his motif/approach, Haynes tells us a lot about the suffering, solitude, and emotional blackmail that comes with that yearn for success. I am amused that most film critics stuck to the surface story and paid lip service to Karen Carpenter's ordeal as a girl in a nuclear family bubble. Civil sympathy is a bit of a bore.

              Richard and Mattel, the creators of Barbie, have blocked the film's availability; all prints are legally supposed to have been destroyed. Richard blocks it because of the usage of the Carpenters' music, which ought to be public domain anyway!. Mattel blocks it because of the usage of Barbie dolls for all the characters and the overt implication that plastic existence has drastic consequences.

              It's amusing and then gripping the overlays of text, music upon music, narrative, darkness, and camera pans that punctuate the film. But the surface story -- Karen lost in her own world of hopeless perfection as envisioned by her domineering mother, Agnes Carpenter -- is a fine one as it depicts a cultural shift from Vietnam's horror to Nixon's false-father stability. (The Carpenters were invited to perform for the President at the White House.) Wholesomeness, in Haynes' tale, requires grit, profanity, endless self-subterfuge and a propensity for collapse. That A&M Records is seen to be malevolent cannot be Karen's reason for self-starvation. That the rest of the rock world is living it up while Carpenters sweat it out in the studio cannot be the reason either. And yet the reason for her illness, like the bird attacks in Hitchcock's 1963 thriller, is never disclosed -- as if it could be, and Haynes shows us his chains of reasoning and events and all we can do is marvel at the Edgar Allen Poe Barbie Dolls and Karen's gradual transformation into Munch visual madness.

              Todd Haynes takes liberties with what happened, but usually only as a convenience; it all comes through and through regardless: the family's accidental discovery that Karen could sing like nobody else; the switch from laxatives to syrup of ipecac and vomiting; the allegations that Richard Carpenter has always been homosexual.

              Word-of-mouth will get you a copy of the film, which only benefits from the acres of great music the duo produced. Karen Carpenter is dead, like so many other against illness and massive ignorance. Haynes' paean to her strength and helplessness, her soulful gloom and snatches of love, transforms the viewer, who is pressed to create his or her own Barbie-format epic!
              jpm242

              Excellent

              I recently saw Superstar in an art class of mine, having heard about the film for over ten years. I had been dying to get my hands on a copy, and was extremely excited about seeing it. It surpassed every expectation I had. I can't imagine the story being done any other way with Barbie dolls. When "Karen" is talking about how she feels fat, one can't help but look at the irony that she is being played by a stick thin Barbie but still insists she's fat--just as Karen couldn't see that in real life. Not preachy or cheesy at all, the "dolls" manage to inject more humanity in the film than actors could. One of the most beautiful, poignant shots ever is in Superstar--Karen Carpenter, alone in the studio, singing a very sad song as the camera pans up and the lights grow dim, the only visible thing her shining face and her echoing, melancholy voice. Do whatever you have to do to see this!!
              LLAAA4837

              Interesting first film for Haynes

              In 1988, filmmaker Todd Haynes released a short film about Karen Carpenter's anorexia-related death. The entire film is, essentially, a reenactment of the events with the people being played by Barbie and Ken dolls. The entire film was more from the perspective of Karen Carpenter and is probably one of the most sympathetic portraits of her plight in existence. Unfortunately, the Carpenter family was none too happy about the film's release and, with the addition of several uncleared music rights, was banned from distribution. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, found it's place in film viewing from the hundreds of bootlegs currently in circulation. The film's primary appeal, nowadays, is in the fact that it's such a controversial and illegal film. With the advent of the internet and of youtube, curious viewers can now watch the film online for free without having to pay for a bootleg copy with mixed quality. I have seen the film in question several times now and I consider it a fascinating first feature from a director that would later go on to receive tremendous acclaim for several of today's modern classics.

              There isn't a whole lot I want to say about the film, because part of the mystique of the film comes from viewing it. I do want to say, however, that it is as creative, disturbing, and interesting as everyone has heard. To say that it's a masterpiece of cult cinema is a bit of a stretch, but structurally the film is intelligent. It does have a rather slanted perspective. It's more about Karen Carpenter and her troubles. It paints a very fair portrait of her difficulties with fame, and as weird as it sounds you do feel really sorry and sad when watching her. The film's treatment of the rest of the characters, however, is a lot less fair. Richard Carpenter, her brother, is shown to be very fame-driven and rather selfish. Haynes, in fact, goes so far as to imply that his hesitations in revealing Karen's anorexia are out of fear of her outing him as a homosexual. Their mother is shown in an even more disturbing light. She is ignorant, small minded, loud, and stubborn, and comes across as very manipulative and controlling. However, the worst portrayal is of their father, who seems almost like a mockery of sitcom fathers of the late-50s. It's an ugly and spiteful portrayal, and to be perfectly honest if it were my family that Haynes was making a film about I would probably want to wring his neck. Putting aside the wrath of the script's treatment of the characters, however, it is only a reenactment and reinterpretation and I have seen far more mocking portrayals of famous people on several different made-for-TV movies (Man in the Mirror anyone?). I don't think that the Carpenter family should have taken Haynes so seriously, but I understand completely why they did. It's a well-known fact that Haynes, in order to properly portray Karen's weight problems, actually shaved off layers of plastic off of her Barbie doll avatar in order to graphically show her descent. In addition, he edits in footage of informal ads, television news audio, and graphic footage of holocaust victims. This is a much darker film than many would think.

              If there's anything wrong with this, it's that the impact of the film is weakened on repeat viewings. Once you get past the actual visual nature of the film, the dark tone, the graphic material of the footage, and the power of the music of the Carpenters in particular, there isn't much left to really dive into. This is really sad to me, because one thing that I can say with total confidence is that the depth Todd Haynes exhibits in terms of musical storytelling, visual power, multiple centered characters and character arcs, set pieces, genre manipulation, tone distortion, atmosphere, breaking of convention, and sound editing make his films some of the most re-watchable films in existence. Still, just because Superstar doesn't hold up does not mean that it is not worth seeing. It is a must-see film. Just don't bother watching it again, because once is enough.
              10dbborroughs

              One of the Best Films Ever

              Squashed by the Carpenter estate this film is all but impossible to see. I think it has less to do with "unauthorized" use of Carpenter songs then the fact that Karen's family comes across as monsters and largely responsible for her death.

              Quite simply this film is a kick in the face, a punch to the gut and utterly heartbreaking. Despite the fact that the film is told with "Barbies" this film moves you to tears. We watch as she is manipulated in to performing and pushed ever onward with little or no control of her life. This is cross cut with scenes of the time period and with information about her condition. The entire film is scored with the music of the Carpenters as well as the other hits of the period. You will be moved.

              If you want to see great film making or great story telling find this film and see it. 10 out of 10.

              Frankly this film should be seen by more people then those dogged enough to search it out since despite the tragedy it could be someone's ray of hope out of the darkness.

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              Storyline

              Edit

              Did you know

              Edit
              • Trivia
                The film was pulled from circulation in 1990, after a cease-and-desist order for unauthorized use of The Carpenters' music. As of 2016, sale or distribution of the film remains illegal. Hundreds of bootleg copies have been sold.
              • Goofs
                In the opening sequence, as the camera rounds the corner on its way into Karen's bedroom, a crew member is visible at the end of the hallway.
              • Quotes

                Narrator: There is a discouragingly high failure rate in the treatment of anorexia. The refusal to eat is so annoying to doctors and family that intervention seems to focus entirely on trying to make the sufferer eat. When the anorectic is unable to comply with the dietary plan, she is often force fed. In these cases, the patient is considered officially recovered when the normal weight is reached and appropriate sex role functioning achieved. Ultimately treatments which assert absolute control over the patient's life only contribute to anorectic behavior, which is often the result of highly controlled, familial environments.

              • Crazy credits
                There are no ending credits, the film ends after shots of newspaper headlines detailing Karen Carpenter's death.
              • Connections
                Featured in Playing Columbine (2008)
              • Soundtracks
                Superstar
                Written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell

                Performed by The Carpenters

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              Details

              Edit
              • Release date
                • July 15, 1987 (United States)
              • Country of origin
                • United States
              • Language
                • English
              • Also known as
                • Суперзвезда: История Карен Карпентер
              • Production company
                • Iced Tea Productions
              • See more company credits at IMDbPro

              Tech specs

              Edit
              • Runtime
                43 minutes
              • Color
                • Color
              • Sound mix
                • Mono
              • Aspect ratio
                • 1.33 : 1

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