Starstruck (1982)

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writer:

Stephen MacLean (written by)

Release Date:

8 April 1982 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Drama

Tagline:

A Comedy Musical.

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Singing | Musician | One Word Title | Song | Band

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jo Kennedy	...	Jackie
Ross O'Donovan	...	Angus
Margo Lee	...	Pearl
Max Cullen	...	Reg
Pat Evison	...	Nana
John O'May	...	Terry
Dennis Miller	...	Lou
Norm Erskine	...	Hazza (as Norman Erskine)
Melissa Jaffer	...	Mrs. Booth
Phil Judd	...	One of The Swingers (as Philip Judd)
Dwayne Hillman	...	One of The Swingers
Ian Gilroy	...	One of The Swingers
Ned Lander	...	Robbie
Mark Little	...	Carl
Ian Spence	...	Spider

Also Known As:

Star Struck (Australia) (poster title)

Runtime:

105 min | USA:94 min (International version)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Harbour View Hotel, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Trivia:

The New Year's Eve concert scenes were actually filmed at The Seymour Centre (a theatre adjacent to The University of Sydney in Camperdown), not at the Sydney Opera House. Filming took three days, and the concert crowd were groups of school kids from various Sydney schools. The scene where Angus is kissing the usherette were filmed later, in one of the foyers at the Sydney Opera House.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the "Gimme Love" number, Jackie and Angus are seen in the club. Then they arrive and walk into the club.

Quotes:

Jackie: Guitars are phallic symbols and guitarists masturbate for a living... so God only knows why you'd need me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Puttin' on the Show: The Making of 'Startstruck' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Temper Temper

a beautiful, feel-good film!

i had the pleasure of seeing this as a child when living in Australia, and now as an adult i tracked the film down on DVD. 25 years of rose-tinted looking back to it was astute, as watching it again now was just as joyous as watching it back then.

the story of the film, in short, is that of an aspiring singer and her ambitious cousin and their attempts to break out of the mundane suburban life and hit the big time. desperate times, to a degree, expedite the need to hit the big time, but this under no circumstances stops them having fun along the way! Jo Kennedy is fantastic in the lead, and what a voice. rare is it that you get someone capable of singing and acting, and here she is for all the world to see. fans of 80's new wave / new romantic music will love her singing style, and it's difficult not to tap your feet and sing along with it all. the rest of the cast is equally impressive, in particular the young lad playing cousin Angus.

Star Struck is an eloquent, fun and enjoyable way to spend 90 or so minutes of your time. along with the great soundtrack, you get as many bitter sweet moments as you do outright funny ones, and you would have to work very hard to dislike it.