Starstruck has that "certain something extra"

She got body, she got soul, but the lips don't match the tune. Argh!


Starstruck is one of the great forgotten flicks of the 80s.

Its name, sometimes written as "Star Struck," should be uttered with quiet reverence in the same breath as Valley Girl, Sixteen Candles, and the Breakfast Club, but - sadly - namedrop the film in North America, and you're likely to get a resounding "Huh?" - even among old guys still using hair gel and wearing skinny ties.

I thought of it today when I read Jen's blog post about guilty pleasures. In the world of my guilty pleasures, almost nothing is guiltier than this (except for maybe "Bugsy Malone," another musical starring Scott Baio and Jodie Foster. No joke.).

I've probably watched my decrepit VHS of this movie about 100 times over the last 20 years, and the thing that's always brought me back for more is how the sincerity and quirkiness of the family scenes plays against the spirited energy (thank you Manitoba ad campaign!) of the musical numbers - sure, they're amateurish and dated, but the complete conviction and enthusiasm with which they're executed is a giddy (not guilty!) pleasure.

The song highlights here are many, but my personal favorites are "Body and Soul," the Split Enz song from the band's best CD, Frenzy, (above) and the irrepressible "I Want to Live in a House," which lays bare the link between punk rebellion and nerdy frustration.

Ross O'Donovan and his merry band of misfits "oi, oi, oi" their way through a sarcastic rave up with more nervous energy than an early Elvis Costello video; if you don't have goosebumps by the key change (2:43) and rush toward the camera (2:46), or you don't immediately watch it again, congratulations: you're clinically dead.


Bonus points for aping the Madness One Step Beyond dance at 3:08!

The DVD, which I recently bought (link at the bottom of this post), is a huge improvement on the VHS edition. It's great to finally see the film in all its widescreen glory with much-improved sound and picture quality.

I was a bit worried that part of the film's charm lay in the nostalgia of watching it on washed-out videotape, but that's definitely not the case. The greatest sin of the VHS edition, as it turns out, was that it obscured the fantastic production design.

The extras are interesting, but where are the interviews with Jo Kennedy and Ross O'Donovan? It's impossible to watch this film without wanting to find out more about both of them. As director Gillian Armstrong notes in the extras, O'Donovan was 17 when he made the film (playing a 14 year old), which would make him 44 today. How does he feel about the film and his performance today? An expanded edition, please.

The discussion with screenwriter Stephen MacLean is interesting, in that he doesn't seem to like the film very much; ahh, the classic grouchy screenwriter who wanted to direct his own work!

Interestingly, MacLean says he thinks O'Donovan's performance is weak (huh?!), and wishes he could've chosen the songs himself. He also recalls a time he saw the film in a theatre and found himself sitting next to a six-year-old girl, who attempts to explain what's happening to her two-year-old sister. Good stuff.



All the interviewees say the film did better in the U.S. than Australia, which is hard to believe, since the song "Body and Soul" went into the Australian top 10 in 1982. However, I do recall Siskel and Ebert giving Starstruck two thumbs up, so that might've done the trick (hey, it worked for My Dinner with Andre).

The deleted scenes aren't so great; they're mostly extended scenes, and by "extended" I'm using the term liberally -- they're about five seconds longer than the originals.

I join the (building?) chorus of fans demanding a soundtrack; and, while we're at it, why don't we also demand the DVD release of Modern Girls, the other great forgotten 80s flick, notable for featuring Depeche Mode's should-have-been-a-hit But Not Tonight?

"And I haven't felt so alive...in years!"



This post is an amended review I first posted on Amazon.com.

Chicago pre-trip #4: Ferris Bueller

1. Dearborn at Adams street. Shake it up, baby!


Like a modern-day principal Rooney, you can spend an entire day off in Chicago searching for Ferris Bueller.

I know, because I'm a big Ferris Bueller geek - like Chicago movie critic Richard Roeper, who says:

"Ferris is one of my favorite movies of all time. It has one of the highest repeatability factors of any film I've seen...I can watch it again and again."

So, I spent much of last year's Chicago trip scouting Bueller locations, from the parking garage that looked after Cameron's dad's red Ferrari to the red mantis sculpture on Dearborn St. where Ferris rocked the 10,000-plus crowd with Twist and Shout (the first place to visit, above).

This year, I'll probably do the same. Visit the locations, not rock the crowd, though I won't rule it out on a future visit.

And, this year, I no longer believe that one can reverse mileage on a Ferrari by propping up its back wheel on a cinder block right next to a wall-sized window. What the hell was I thinking?

The key locations (continued):


2. Art Institute of Chicago - N. Michigan Ave., downtown Chicago

"Who here has a domineering father and an empty life?"

Good times, for a change!

So, you're not allowed to take a photo of any of the artwork at the good Institute, I found out after I took this one. D'oh.

But you can gaze into Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" and reflect on the emptiness of your life, just like Cameron did.

Tip: wearing a Detroit Red Wings shirt only enhances the experience!




3. The Sausage King of Chicago ate here - 22 W. Schiller St.

It took me a while to track down this one. For some reason the address has been removed from this location - too many middle-aged guys looking for the place where Bueller pretended to be Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago, I'll wager.

A lovely residence and a lovely walk through a lovely neighborhood. Lovely.


4. Ferrari Parking Garage - West Madison Street at Wells Street (beneath "the el train")

Not much to see here, except the most-famous parking garage in history! Bring the Star Wars theme on your iPod.


5. Willis ("Sears" to you) Tower Skydeck - 233 S. Wacker Drive


Everyone on the trip gets a pass to the newly named Willis Tower. Call it "Sears" if you don't want a Chicagoan to beat you senseless.

Press your head against the glass and contemplate the ant-like nature of humankind, just like Ferris did.

And, take a step out onto the new, 103rd-floor glass balconies, which Ferris couldn't and didn't do.




6. Wrigley Field - 1060 West Addison St.



Home of the Chicago Cubs and the place where Cameron chanted: "Hey batta batta batta batta batta batta batta batta batta swing batta!"

You've gotta take the Red Line train to get there, but it's worth it, especially if the Cubs happen to be playing that day.


7. Chicago Board of Trade - 141 West Jackson Blvd.

If you're going to propose to your honey on the trip, do it like Ferris did: at the Chicago Board of Trade tower while Cameron practices his floor-trader hand signals.

You can't book a tour anymore, thanks to those terrorists who hate all of our freedom. But it's still an awesome tower. And you can still propose.



Off the beaten path:

1. Ferris' school interior (and the Breakfast Club interior, while you're at it): Glenbrook North High School, 2300 Shermer Road, Northbrook (catch a train from Union Station)

2. Ferris' school exterior: Center for Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St., Chicago.

3. Save Ferris water tower - North of Glenbrook Station, between Cedar Lane and Meadow Road. They apparently really painted the slogan for the movie, but - sigh - it's painted no more.

4. Cameron's home - 370 Beech St., between Linden and Wade. Includes the glass Ferrari garage, and it can be yours for a mere $1.8 million. Tom Cruise also lived here in Risky Business.

5. Ferris' home - uh, it's in California. D'oh!