Star 80Envy poisons the soul. Worse: its caustic touch destroys everything good around it. That is the tragic lesson that led to the murder of Dorothy Stratten, played by Mariel Hemingway in Bob Fosse's dramatization of her life and death, titled Star 80. Slain in a murder/suicide by her husband, Paul Snider (Eric Roberts), and told in a series of flashbacks leading up to their deaths, Star 80 assumes the difficult task of recreating events from their lives and others involved, ultimately building to its sad conclusion, presenting a star that burned brightly, only to be snuffed out by the one who should have loved her most, but loved only himself.
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The death of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten was initially explored in an article in The Village Voice by Teresa Carpenter, and was adapted into film a few times, including one made prior to this movie. It's hard to get past the idea of revisiting a true crime violent killing of a beautiful model without it inherently coming across as ghoulish, but Star 80 focuses more on the narcissistic sociopath that was Paul Snider, even more than Dorothy. The film's initial scene is full of dread, but the details of the murder of Dorothy aren't fully revealed until later. Nevertheless, audiences watching Star 80 would have likely been aware of her death in advance, and the movie acknowledges this by way of Paul's manic shaking, naked and bloodied. Each of these interludes back into the "present" of this scene of carnage only amps up the tension more and more. So by the time of the fatal encounter at the film's climax, the sorrow and desire to see a different outcome regardless of the facts is palpable. It is a familiar yet effective element of true crime dramatizations, where audiences may wish to see the past changed, yet are bound to be helpless witnesses to it instead. In addition to Paul's flashbacks, there are moments where the successful Dorothy gives radio interviews--including over the opening credits--about her unexpected fame coming from posing nude for Playboy. She delivers statements about working for Playboy to be akin to being a part of a "big family": predictable, yet genuine sounding, coming from this wholesome "girl next door". Star 80 isn't shy about portraying Dorothy in a sympathetic light and Paul in a horribly destructive one. It also isn't shy about its nudity, an essential element to the film not just because of what made Dorothy Stratten famous in the first place. More importantly, it speaks to Paul's raging insecurity. As is often the case with dramatizations dealing with famous people, some of the names have been changed, even though anyone who does any cursory research will know that director "Aram Nicholas" (Roger Rees) is meant to represent Peter Bogdanovich, with whom Dorothy had an affair while making They All Laughed. Another challenge a movie like Star 80 bravely faces is how to present the circumstances of the murder/suicide without appearing to be unduly biased. Ultimately, by focusing on Paul's constantly manic (possibly bipolar) episodes, bouncing between thinly-veiled flattery, name dropping, and cruel outrage, it's impossible not to see why even people like Hugh Hefner (played by Cliff Robertson) would advise Dorothy away from marrying such a man, and not just to protect his brand. Or how a heartbroken Dorothy could be driven into the arms of another, more sympathetic soul like Aram.
A true renaissance man in the entertainment business, Bob Fosse made a name for himself as a director with the likes of Cabaret and other movies. Star 80 would be his last film, yet it carries many of the stylistic elements that made his work so iconic. The most obvious example of this is the way that the film showcases many risque, burlesque scenes in strip clubs, predominantly the ones Paul frequents. Outlandish, wild, and naughty, including not one, but two strip shows involving a kiddie pool, these scenes belie the sorrowful undercurrent of the story. They also speak to Paul's state of mind, constantly craving attention, excess, success, and adoration, all by trying to manipulate events to his advantage at the expense of others. At his core, Paul is a gambler, albeit a comically bad one. From the beginning, he gets into trouble with bookies, who threaten to toss him out of a high-rise window. But Paul isn't someone who gives up, no matter what common sense says or who has to clean up after his mess. Paul has an overly romanticized version of himself in his head, which justifies some unscrupulous and illegal behavior. Starting off pimping women at car shows and obsessively remembering details of others to impress them (even when it invariably comes across as creepy instead), he only takes an interest in the young Dorothy because he sees someone he can exploit. He showers affection and gifts on her and her family, and compels Dorothy to do nude photos. Dorothy is an innocent and even naive young girl; Paul jealously sees her as an object to claim as his own, convincing himself that he "loves" her to avoid acknowledging his true intentions to himself. That Paul just so happens to be right about Dorothy's magnetic charm and beauty becomes a bittersweet detail for him to use to continue to justify his own self-absorbed behavior. Before long, he alienates virtually all of the celebrities (including Hefner) he sought to befriend in the first place. He takes his frustration out on Dorothy, accusing her of having an affair with Aram--ironically before the thought had ever entered her mind. Their relationship is the definition of "toxic", and recalls to an extent the failures of interpersonal relationships and romance found in Fosse's other films like Cabaret. The feeling is that some people are incapable of seeing past themselves and are also incapable of resisting their impulses, even those which hurt the ones that they believe that they love. Paul may believe that he loves Dorothy, but he doesn't. He may believe that he's deserving of success, but he isn't. He's a sad little man, and it is this revelation that finally leads to his total meltdown and destruction. At one point, Dorothy begs Paul to take her back to British Columbia, to those days when she was happen working as a clerk in a Diary Queen--not famous, not suffering. The message is that fame can be just as much of a curse as a blessing...and sometimes it's far worse than being nothing more than a genuine girl next door.
Recommended for: Fans of an emotionally harrowing and poignant examination of how we view celebrities, where they come from, and the chaos that can bubble up around them when left unchecked. Star 80 may be one of the saddest movies I've seen, showing how easily innocence can be snuffed out by people who feel entitled to their own self-gratification. Incidentally, it's interesting to compare Star 80 to Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, for its content, setting, and surprising amount of needle drops.
A true renaissance man in the entertainment business, Bob Fosse made a name for himself as a director with the likes of Cabaret and other movies. Star 80 would be his last film, yet it carries many of the stylistic elements that made his work so iconic. The most obvious example of this is the way that the film showcases many risque, burlesque scenes in strip clubs, predominantly the ones Paul frequents. Outlandish, wild, and naughty, including not one, but two strip shows involving a kiddie pool, these scenes belie the sorrowful undercurrent of the story. They also speak to Paul's state of mind, constantly craving attention, excess, success, and adoration, all by trying to manipulate events to his advantage at the expense of others. At his core, Paul is a gambler, albeit a comically bad one. From the beginning, he gets into trouble with bookies, who threaten to toss him out of a high-rise window. But Paul isn't someone who gives up, no matter what common sense says or who has to clean up after his mess. Paul has an overly romanticized version of himself in his head, which justifies some unscrupulous and illegal behavior. Starting off pimping women at car shows and obsessively remembering details of others to impress them (even when it invariably comes across as creepy instead), he only takes an interest in the young Dorothy because he sees someone he can exploit. He showers affection and gifts on her and her family, and compels Dorothy to do nude photos. Dorothy is an innocent and even naive young girl; Paul jealously sees her as an object to claim as his own, convincing himself that he "loves" her to avoid acknowledging his true intentions to himself. That Paul just so happens to be right about Dorothy's magnetic charm and beauty becomes a bittersweet detail for him to use to continue to justify his own self-absorbed behavior. Before long, he alienates virtually all of the celebrities (including Hefner) he sought to befriend in the first place. He takes his frustration out on Dorothy, accusing her of having an affair with Aram--ironically before the thought had ever entered her mind. Their relationship is the definition of "toxic", and recalls to an extent the failures of interpersonal relationships and romance found in Fosse's other films like Cabaret. The feeling is that some people are incapable of seeing past themselves and are also incapable of resisting their impulses, even those which hurt the ones that they believe that they love. Paul may believe that he loves Dorothy, but he doesn't. He may believe that he's deserving of success, but he isn't. He's a sad little man, and it is this revelation that finally leads to his total meltdown and destruction. At one point, Dorothy begs Paul to take her back to British Columbia, to those days when she was happen working as a clerk in a Diary Queen--not famous, not suffering. The message is that fame can be just as much of a curse as a blessing...and sometimes it's far worse than being nothing more than a genuine girl next door.
Recommended for: Fans of an emotionally harrowing and poignant examination of how we view celebrities, where they come from, and the chaos that can bubble up around them when left unchecked. Star 80 may be one of the saddest movies I've seen, showing how easily innocence can be snuffed out by people who feel entitled to their own self-gratification. Incidentally, it's interesting to compare Star 80 to Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, for its content, setting, and surprising amount of needle drops.