More than ever, one of the greatest parts of starting a new month is seeing what The Criterion Channel has in store. There isn’t a single streaming service that I’d argue has better options when it comes to cinema. They’re also one of the few who know how to organize their “ingoing” and “outgoing” titles so clearly that you can cater your decisions to which is more time-sensitive. It’s caused me to watch dozens of movies monthly that look vaguely interesting, knowing that they may disappear forever and never be seen by me ever again.
It’s caused me to go out of my way when I find an eccentric title. As the definition of cinematic quality, I tend to trust whatever they have on the service.
And that is exactly how I landed on Starstruck (1982).
The vibrant cover art of director Gillian Armstrong’s sophomore title appears at the top of The Criterion Channel’s app right now and I can’t tell you how attractive it is. Not only that, but it does a great job of representing what it’s advertising as star Jo Kennedy with shamelessly big 80s hair rocks out with swirling colors. I don’t know much else about Starstruck. I couldn’t tell you who was in it or what it was even about. Even as I read the description, the thing that was clearest was that it featured the production designer for Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). That sounds pretty attractive, let’s go!
If the name Gillian Armstrong sounds familiar, it’s because of her Winona Ryder adaptation of Little Women (1994), which for a generation was the definitive version. It’s not a bad film to be remembered for, though I frankly haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen anything by Armstrong, which makes Starstruck exciting for a whole host of reasons, notably being that the director has gone on record of saying that her sophomore movie is very different from her Oscar-nominated debut My Brilliant Career (1979). So unless that film features New Wave tunes and a thick glaze of hairspray, I’d have to take them at their word.
There are plenty of reasons to call Starstruck infectiously charming. If I had to personally sell it, I see it as an Australian musical that pays homage to MTV music videos with a great knock-off Cyndi Lauper soundtrack. For a film that clearly exists with an Aussie charm, it’s amazing how well they capture the mood of imported media. Not since Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) has a love for American culture been interpreted with vibrant originality. This may not reinvent anything or tell a revolutionary story, but boy does it commit to its feel-good mood that movie musicals sorely need.
A sore sticking point for me has been the general degrading of the movie musical over the past few decades. While there are many great examples during this time, it does feel like something is off. Films like Begin Again (2014) and Sing Street (2016) fail to be true musicals, siding with a handful of songs reused as motifs that make it more of a drama. I want them to go further and embrace their spectacle. In fact, I’d argue that there are very few directors capable of reliably making a Capital-G Great movie musical in the current age.
With that said, one of the few top-tier modern hits God Help the Girl (2014) feels like it borrows so much influence from Starstruck. While I mentioned that there are elements of MTV music videos, what makes it refreshing is that it’s grounded in something small and independent. We’re introduced to this world in a sequence where The Wombats are performing. Everyone in the room is dancing in an elaborate choreography that mixes ballroom with nightclub chic. It’s wonderfully 80s but gives it this unique personality that assures you that Armstrong knows what she’s doing. By the time that someone slides across a bar, you’ll know whether this neon-colored smorgasbord is for you or not.
A few things are true about Starstruck, including that none of the songs necessarily stand out. They are so shamelessly New Wave, playing at an aggressive beat that encourages everyone to dance. It’s that period right before figures like Madonna redefined the pop landscape and took it away from the nerds, embracing every weird idea and make art that recalls everything that they love. These are videos that effortlessly use nightclubs, pools, restaurants, even backstage areas. In some respect, these are all spots reminiscent of classic musicals but presented through the view of Australian youth, eager to do one thing and one thing only: become the greatest singer in the world.
That may be a bit hyperbolic. Then again, what are teenagers but hyperbolic, sitting around their room watching MTV music videos and fantasizing about a future where they get to rock out? This film fully realizes this dream, often forgoing a plot in favor of pure energy. I don’t even know that the plot outside of the compelling choreography matters all that much. This is one of those stories where first and foremost music matters. Upon seeing Kennedy perform as the new lead singer of The Wombats, everyone in town gathers at a restaurant and sings the song with earnest pride. The success of this band feels like it has the potential to shift the entire economy, and Armstrong really sells that idea.
It helps that Kennedy is an enjoyable presence as Jackie Mullens, whose eccentric wardrobe helps to explain how she gets thrust into such cartoonish situations. She has this way of making you buy into her enthusiasm even if she never truly makes sense. The coming of age aspect of this story is cookie-cutter, but that’s because her first love is music and the aimless running around preparing for the next gig makes her feel more real. She will be happy if she can win the music contest for the TV channel WOW! TV. It will set off dominoes and her life will be awesome. Maybe it’s because this is an Australian title, but its underdog status works very well.
From what I’ve read, 1982 was a banner year for Aussie musicals bringing with it The Pirate Movie (1982) and The Return of Captain Invincible (1982). I like to think that the other two were also influenced in similar ways, watching old Esther Williams and Busby Berkeley numbers and wondering how you choreograph a big music video set at a pool. You wonder how to get the lights in a nightclub to be the right level of dim. My history with MTV may be limited, but I imagine that there was something appealing about this moment where gawky outsiders ruled, where they weren’t afraid to be themselves and were rewarded in large dividends.
That is why Jackie Mullens works as a character. She is very much of her time, using minute problems as the biggest motivators for pop music. Every song sounds so serious even if they’re as something as mundane as “I Want to Live in a House.”
As mentioned, one of the greatest achievements of this film is not plot, but the way it feels like music videos with interstitial plot inserted. The Swingers did a solid job filling in at key moments on the soundtrack. During this particular song, they make a kooky number about the joys of living somewhere safe. It’s as much to do with the characters’ economic struggles as it is this sincerity of believing that every problem they have deserves to be translated into song. There is something fun about watching them run through hallways and open rooms doing this elaborate choreography. It's so full of life and commitment that you admire the effort.
That is what works. Every number manages to both feel professionally produced while also done by people in Summer Stock. You feel like they’re working with limited resources and making it shine like a million dollars. Armstrong is a true talent who clearly has a love for this genre. I wish more people were this self-aware, especially given that American counterparts of the time weren’t as innovative. They weren’t pushing the boundaries of personality quite as effectively as Jackie showing up and grabbing a microphone. She’s a loose wire ready to electrocute you, and you best just take it.
I love how singular this film is, capturing a vibe that hasn’t been handled as well in other people’s hands. Films like Grease 2* (1982) have tried to mix eccentric numbers with weird choreography, but something is missing. Starstruck’s greatest gift is having talented musicians craft these songs and make them sound like they’ll work in anyone’s hands. Not every teenager can sing opera, but most of them can take the lead on Starstruck and come close to capturing the heart and energy of Jackie. It plays into the fantasy as the conclusion enters predictable and cornball places that work because, well, the stakes of this movie are what every coming of age story is about.
*I want to go on the record of saying that I do not hate Grease 2 and think that it gets a bad rap. Is it good? No. However, the effort in making it something distinctive goes unappreciated because it follows one of the most beloved movie musicals in history. It’s not great, but the ambition and direction deserve more credit, even if some of the songs fall flat.
This isn’t high art, but it does give me hope that Australian cinema has more of these quirky surprises in store. It’s probably the closest that I’ve found to them making a genuinely universal film. Not of dramatic tension, but of something resembling a dream to be greater than yourself. It’s been billed as a “comedy musical” and I think the order is important. It is supposed to be ridiculous. Why should Americans be the only ones who corner the market on these vapid fantasies? When Armstrong does it, you almost believe her more because more effort had to be put into getting the film over stateside, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll know who Kennedy is. She should’ve been a star after this, but that’s just the way things go sometimes.
I know that it sounds like I’m denigrating Starstruck a bit by commenting on its “lesser” elements, but I must assure you that this is a genuinely good time. It may be borrowing from music videos and not really have a plot, but it understands what makes these aspects appealing and turns it into a madcap adventure. Sure there may be more successful tributes to New Wave music and culture, but I don’t think any feel as significant than an outsider giving their stamp of approval. They don’t have to like you. By adopting your pastimes, it proves that you made it.
To be honest, I would be happy if more modern movies borrowed elements of Starstruck for their musical sequences. There is nothing wrong with embracing the silly and just going for things. Understand that style can inform the stakes of your story and the rest will follow. I’m sure that Armstrong as a director is worthy of exploring in greater detail, especially if her work is as fun as it is here. I feel like she probably has only grown more confident in the decades ahead, finding ways to make the Australian perspective all the more accessible.
For now, I feel like I’ve just discovered a hidden gem, and there’s no greater feeling in the world. It won’t change anything, but I guarantee that it may brighten up your day if you’re willing to just go with it.
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