Starstruck (1982)

Young woman wants to become the next big singer with the help of her friends and despite the wishes of her working class family.

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writer:

Stephen MacLean (original screenplay)

Stars:

Jo Kennedy, Ross O'Donovan, Margo Lee

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Young woman wants to become the next big singer with the help of her friends and despite the wishes of her working class family.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | rear end car accident | cat | piano player | christmas tree | 

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Taglines:

Australia's favourite musical comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1982 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Kuszace gwiazdorstwo

Filming Locations:

Harbour View Hotel, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Commission, The, Palm Beach Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 94 min (International)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Angus: Him? I'm not going *anywhere* with him. Actually, I think I'm gonna go throw meself under a bus.

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Connections

References Africa: Texas Style (1967)

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Soundtracks

"My Belief in You"
Performed by Jo Kennedy
Written by Kosmin, Brown

User Reviews

An irresistibly fun and frothy concoction

Who would have guessed that Australian director Gillian Armstrong would follow the acclaimed period piece "My Brilliant Career" with this wildly colorful and outrageous New Wave musical? As it turns out, both films are about independent and talented young women who overcome their limited means and family struggles to triumph as artists -- in this case, barmaid Jackie (the delightful Jo Kennedy) gets to sing at the big New Year's show at the Sydney Opera House and make enough money to save the family hotel.

Visually inventive, "Star Struck" features a terrific, energetic cast and lots of great music (buy the soundtrack, it's worth it). Something of a cult film in the U.S., it's a movie that deserves discovery.