wolit (03/08/83)
Review of "Starstruck," or Not Every Movie Made Down Under is Worth Seeing While out with group last weekend (always, in my experience, a dangerous way to see a film), I managed to flake out enough to be talked into seeing moviedom's latest Australian import, an obscure (thank God) little piece of trash named "Starstruck." Having been very favorably impressed with antipodal offerings in recent years, and in an agreeable mood, I forgot that, not 12 hours earlier, my brother-in-law-elect had been talking about films he'd seen recently, and liked, including an Australian one and a "light" (his word) punk-rock musical. I admit it was thick of me, but I didn't make the connection until I was sitting in the theatre and it was too late. To be honest, the three people who saw it with me liked it. For my money, it was "The Monkees meet Sid Vicious," and not very well done at that. One of my companions said she liked the Monkees. Well, for cryin' out loud, so did I, but I was 13 then! Maybe you should take your 13-year old to "Starstruck," though I doubt if you're the parent of a 13-year old you'd find it very amusing. If you ARE a 13-year old, by all means, enjoy it, and be good enough to leave your parents home. If you are a BRIGHT 13-year old, and forced by peer-pressure to see this film, you might find it fun to count the number of times the director manages to sneak into a camera shot a view of a certain steel-truss arch bridge (or an image therof). But I doubt it. Most bright 13-year olds are more imaginative than the crew that made this clunker. In short, if you like loud, repetitive, antagonistic, juvenile music, and all the artistic subtlety of a hod of bricks crashing down on you, don't miss "Starstuck." Otherwise, stay home and play with your Atari.