Starstruck

There is more creativity and energy in just about any two seconds of 1982's STARSTRUCK than most other musical of its era (yes, including GREASE 2). Maybe even any other movie of that time.  I was continually dazzled by director Gillian Armstrong's eye for detail, most of it wonderfully eccentric.  She positively crams this movie with colorful props and odd characters.  It's a film that follows a familiar plot: a young singer dreams of fame; if only she can get that big break by getting a spot on the local televised talent show! Meanwhile, her mother's pub is in danger of closing.  Can you predict the overlap of these plot threads?

Jackie (Jo Kennedy) dreams of escaping her grind as a waitress at the pub and haunts the clubs with her vibrant act.  Her lovesick/hormonal cousin Angus (Ross O'Donovan) is her tireless advocate, forever calling talent agencies and harassing Terry Lambert (John O'May), the host of "The Wow! Show".  After Angus convinces Jackie to walk a high wire between two buildings, the subsequent media attention causes Terry to relent and give her a shot.  But Jackie's relationship with Robbie (Ned Lander), lead singer of The Wombats, will be threatened by her attraction to Terry, who informs her that she'll need to instead sing with a pre-selected band for her big debut.  Things go awry, of course.

Stephen Maclean's script does a nice job of sending up Hollywood musicals, ones where characters abruptly break out in song and dance.  It's mostly quite inspired.  There's even a nod to Esther Williams, albeit very updated for the times.  Armstrong's direction and Russell Boyd's cinematography are deft and pay homage with swooping crane shots and fast pans, yet create something fresh and original.  There is always a strong emphasis on characterization, right down to the minor players.  I adored the (fleshed out) sketches of Jackie's family and some of the pub patrons.  How the story unfolds and how scenes progress may bewilder American audiences conditioned to more traditional mise en scene, but for me made the whole thing more interesting.

STARSTRUCK was quite a change of pace for Armstrong, but what remains is the feminist spirit, which burned as brightly as ever.  The music and choreography are pretty boss, too.  If you dig '80s New Wave, this movie is a must.