On S List of Movie Reviews

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Star 80 (1983)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 1/20, 2/20

Star80
1/20: The final film for Cabaret's director Bob Fosse, Star 80 presents a compelling story of how a Playboy Playmate of the Year named Dorothy Stratten was raped and murdered by her husband Paul Snider.

Because of his "personality of a pimp," Eric Roberts is captivating and gives the performance of his career. Unbelievably, he wasn't nominated for an Oscar, let alone win it. I don't think there'll be a better or more realistic characterization of somebody with bipolar behavior that's taken to the extreme. By all accounts, Eric Roberts' portrayal of Paul Snider was "right on the money."

To counteract Eric Roberts' awesome acting is the wonderful, soft performance by Mariel Hemingway who also deserved an Oscar nomination. Her transformation from a naïve, groomed high schooler to a mature, experienced young adult is the key to the unraveling of their relationship because she's basically pimped for money and access to stars.

Honestly, I've never heard of the story until now and say it's a better movie than Boogie Nights since they both delve into the silly, shallow world of porn. Disliked by many, Hugh Hefner (Cliff Robertson) was a joke for decades, and it evidently shows in the film.

You'll see a guy named Aram. That's really Peter Bogdanovich, the director of The Last Picture Show. Dorothy Stratten was cast in his film entitled They All Laughed (which was changed to Tinsel Time for legal reasons). After her murder, Peter Bogdanovich oddly married Dorothy's younger sister, who was 20 at that time, eight years later. They divorced in 2001. Also, you'll see a black comic telling jokes, and that's Keenen Ivory Wayans in his feature film debut.

All in all, Eric Roberts should've won the Oscar for his sleazy yet spellbinding performance in Star 80.

2/20: Forget about being snubbed for a nomination; Eric Roberts should've won the Oscar for his performance in Star 80.

All in all, Star 80 is all Eric Roberts.