Starstruck

Director Gillian Armstrong's 1982 follow-up to her breakout debut My Brilliant Career (1979), Starstruck has attained cult classic status over the years—although not for its rather lame narrative about a New Wave wannabe-singing-star named Jackie (Jo Kennedy), who lives in a family-run pub/hotel in Sydney and dreams of becoming the Australian Idol with the help of her adolescent cousin manager Angus (Ross O'Donovan). Nope, the main attraction here is the earnest (and full of low-budget charm) musical numbers (penned by former Split Enz member Phil Judd and bandmate Tim Finn, the latter going on to front Crowded House), innovatively staged by Armstrong, with clear nods to forerunners ranging from Busby Berkeley to A Hard Day's Night. Throughout the film, just when you think the dialogue couldn't get any worse, the picture veers off into another infectious, innocent, and slightly loopy musical number reflecting the combination of driving hook-laden pop rock and bizarre costuming/makeup characteristic of New Wave's attempt to package the punk sensibility in a colorful but nevertheless mainstream-friendly format. Boasting a fine transfer overall (some nicks and scratches from the source material remain), Starstruck features a number of solid DVD extras, including an audio commentary by producer Richard Brennan, a “Puttin' on the Show” retrospective documentary (containing interviews with Armstrong, co-producer David Elfick, and cinematographer Russell Boyd), an interview with screenwriter Stephen MacLean (having his legs massaged on a Thai beach), and deleted, alternate, and extended scenes. Recommended. (R. Pitman)