Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

RyothChatty ridiculous rating

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

dungeonstudio I have to hand it to Bob Fosse for immortalizing not only Dorothy Stratten, but Lenny Bruce as well. (In Bob's other great movie 'Lenny' with Dustin Hoffman) What is it about these two people that attracted the intense attention of a choreographer like Fosse? In a word, I'd say it was 'rhythm'. Both these people went 'out of sync' with their otherwise preordained lives. Lenny decided to 'go blue' with his comedic material, and become the whipping boy for 'free speech'. While Dorothy was humble about her beauty, but saw the empowering opportunities it could give her. And interesting that Lenny was praised by the public for his comedic boldness, but hated by 'the system' of righteous puritanical authorities and outlets. Whereas Dorothy was scrutinized for her Playboy posing, but in her defense of it, 'the system' of entertainment pros and directors saw great potential in her. And as soon as the public realized 'Hey, these people are dancing to a different beat - but they're good at it' - they're sadly removed from the chorus line. And interesting that Lenny began to take himself and his charges way too seriously, while Dorothy and her rising success wasn't taken seriously enough by herself. Had Lenny been a little more 'laissez-faire' with the charges and controversy he caused, he may have lived a long and successful life? Had Dorothy taken heed to Hef's and others advice that she'd be better off without Paul, she too may have had a long and successful life? Either way, I don't think either died in vane. And again, kudos to Bob for putting these otherwise less than favorable and forgettable people as the unwitting pioneers that they were. Not that Lenny Bruce single handed made comedy 'sleazy'. Or that Dorothy Stratten innocently made pornography 'respectable'. But there are those today that would ignorantly say 'they got what they deserved'. And it's the grace of these two movies of Bob's to show how ultimately wrong they really are.

zuhairvazir Over the weekend I found myself rummaging through my collection - once again - for a Bob Fosse flick and voila, two films popped out as if God Himself gave the DVDs a push from below.This brilliant film is the story of a Playboy Centerfold intricately shown to us by veteran director Bob Fosse. Dorothy Stratten, a naive, young, wholesome beauty from Vancouver, British Columbia is discovered by a small time night-club promoter and part time pimp, Paul Snider. They move in together and he takes pictures of her to send to Playboy. Fosse's direction is tenfold. Here we see the libertine culture in a direct collision course with greed and the lust to be 'someone'. Snider wants to be known as Stratten's manager and husband (yes, they get married much to Hefner's dislike) more than anything in the world. He wants to buy new cars and clothes with her money, hang out with the stars at 'The Mansion' and above all get comforted by the feeling that he owns Stratten. Look in his eyes when he is rejected by high society. That look deserves all the awards in the world.Fosse does not confuse us or makes us ask questions. We see Snider, a role that is performed almost perfectly by the great Eric Roberts, throwing tantrums; admiring himself in the mirror and soaked with jealousy at many points throughout the film. The year after this film was made, Roberts went on to team with Mickey Rourke to make one of the finest films to come out of Hollywood, 'The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)'.There is a sense of chaos around snider, which Roberts holds on to with filial piety throughout the film. He drives the film with his over-the- top dress sense, his brilliant facial expressions and his entire body movement, which if studied carefully gives away a lot about the character. He emphasizes each word he speaks and if we didn't know who he was, even we would fall for the smooth talking erstwhile pimp. However, we know who he is; history tells us who he is therefore from the word go (when they meet) the screen is brimming with tension and discomfort. Mariel Hemingway throws in a lovely performance herself, albeit a tad- bit forlorn, even when she's having fun - but you see the conflict is right there. Stratten cannot enjoy the fame under Snider's omnipresent shadow. We see the rise and then the descent, as if in fast forward of a promising young, voluptuous woman and who, towards the end starts getting calls from Hollywood and even gets small parts in 'Buck Rogers' and is picked by Peter Bogdanovich for his new movie. Overall, the film packs a punch and is quite unpleasant to watch, specially when you know how it ends.The orton set design and immaculate camera work give the film an edge over other genre specials, and then there is Eric Roberts who is currently consigned to oblivion, but then showbiz is brutal, see what it did to him.Great film and a must watch.

D_Burke More often than not, stories based on tragic but intriguing actual events make easy sells for Hollywood screenplays. However, when these screenplays get made into movies by filmmakers who are a bit too anxious to make a true story juicier than it already is, it really shows in the film's final cut. Acting on the urge to sensationalize truly makes what could be a great movie into . . . well, one that is just okay.As sad a story as the savage murder of 1979 Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Strattan is, its details almost beg to be seen on the big screen. She was shot and killed by her own husband, who actually discovered her and played a big part in her rise to fame through Playboy. Such a story is obviously captivating, but there is also a lot of complexity to it. Unfortunately, in ignoring any complexity this story had to have had, the filmmakers made a mediocre biopic that has not stood the test of time very well.Eric Roberts plays Paul Snider, the small time hustler who discovers, weds, and eventually murders Dorothy Strattan, with so much sleaziness that his performance becomes distracting and difficult to take seriously. In a way, such sordid qualities in his character made him interesting. For instance, in the beginning of the film, you see Roberts lifting weights, then flexing his muscles in front of a mirror. He's in great shape, but somehow manages to reflect a lack of self confidence through his vanity. His straight hair and pencil-thick mustache are too slick for his own good.There are also scenes where he's in the Playboy mansion, and knows a great deal about the people who are at the party, particularly Hugh Hefner (Cliff Robertson). Snider can quote Hefner verbatim, and does right in front of the pajama-clad CEO himself. Robertson, as Hefner, looks unimpressed, and you don't blame him for feeling that way.All these insecurities are well and good for these scenes, but they fly in the face of logic when Dorothy Strattan (Mariel Hemingway) comes into the picture. Hemingway is very good in her performance as the naive but sweet girl from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who rises to fame without letting it or Playboy's occasional notoriety corrupt her.However, I kept asking myself why a woman as beguiling and radiant as her would ever date, let alone marry, someone as sleazy and execrable as Paul Snider. I'm not saying that the real life Paul Snider had no redeemable qualities whatsoever. He may have. It's just that Eric Roberts portrays him without the slightest bit of charm whatsoever, as if he's the evil stranger in children's books that your parents warn you never to talk to.For a movie like this to assume audience members will suspend such disbelief made the climax of the film so contrived and void of any believability whatsoever. Instead of seeing a complex man pushed to murder the woman he loves through inner turmoil fueled by his own pride, lust, and wrath, you see a creep acting like you would expect a creep to act, and a woman who doesn't know any better.Director Bob Fosse also made the dangerous assumption that the climax was its own reward, and no resolution was needed. Although the on-screen murder did make me flinch, the cutaway scenes throughout the film already gave it away.What I wanted to see was what happened after the climax: how Hugh Hefner reacted to the murders, or Strattan's family, or the film director (Roger Rees) with whom she was having an affair. Unfortunately, the movie made the same mistake "Looking For Mr. Goodbar" (1977) did: the climax is assumed to be its own reward, and the end credits suffice. I would give this film a C- if I was allowed to submit letter grades, but a grade of I for Incomplete seems more appropriate.

JasparLamarCrabb STAR 80 is Bob Fosse's stunning, no holds barred account of the life and death of playmate Dorothy Stratten and her husband Paul Snider. It features a career making performance by Eric Roberts. As Snider, Roberts is electrifying. He's the most sadistic screen villain since Richard Widmark in KISS OF DEATH. Mariel Hemingway is fine as Stratten, a would be actress who had an affair with the director Peter Bogdanovich. Unfortunately she's dwarfed by Roberts. So are the supporting players: Roger Rees as a very Bogdanovich-like director, Carroll Baker as Stratten's mother, and Cliff Robertson as Hugh Hefner. Director Fosse utilizes the same interview like technique he used on LENNY and it works just as well here --- Baker is particularly good and has a number of heartfelt moments. STAR 80 is flashy, fast paced and not to be missed!POSTSCRIPT: It turned out that Roberts would play the majority of his roles as he did Paul Snider. In movies like THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE and RUNAWAY TRAIN it was appropriate. In more subtle fare like RAGGEDY MAN it wasn't. Go figure!