Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 70s.
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Title: Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Merrill Gruver | ... | Karen (voice) |
| Michael Edwards | ... | Richard (voice) | |
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Melissa Brown | ... | Mother (voice) |
| Rob LaBelle | ... | Dad / Mr. A&M (voice) | |
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Nannie Doyle | ... | Cherry Boone (voice) |
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Cynthia Schneider | ... | Dionne Warwick (voice) |
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Larry Kole | ... | Announcer (voice) |
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Gwen Kraus | ... | Narrator (voice) |
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Bruce Tuthill | ... | Narrator (voice) |
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Joanne Barnett | ... | Herself - Singer |
| Todd Haynes | ... | (voice) | |
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Moira McCarty | ... | (voice) |
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Laurie Stone | ... | (voice) |
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Michelle Manenti | ... | (voice) |
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Celia Pearce | ... | (voice) |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Karen and Richard Carpenter are young musicians living with their parents in Downey, California. Richard shows great promise as a songwriter and Karen, who plays drums, begins to sing vocals, thrusting the duo into stardom. They become wildly successful, Karen's striking voice and Richard's soft melodies capturing the essence of the nation's yearning for calm after the turbulent Sixties. But Karen strives for perfection and becomes increasingly fearful of her weight, despite being a slender woman. Eventually she is diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a mental disease relating to stress, lack of control, and low self-esteem. A fight for Karen's life ensues. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
Certificate:
Not RatedParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 April 1988 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Суперзвезда: История Карен Карпентер See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Karen: Because SHE doesn't WANT to live in Downey, ALRIGHT?
See more »
Written by Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson and Jimmy Griffin
Performed by The Carpenters
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Ranked #45 on Entertainment Weekly's "Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time" See more »Goofs
The same scene of Karen in the hospital is used for Karen in her bed at home when her mother calls. See more »Quotes
Mother: I will not ALLOW Karen to move to some apartment an hour away from here after what just happened to her. Why can't she find a nice place in Downey? Why does she have to be out in the middle of...Karen: Because SHE doesn't WANT to live in Downey, ALRIGHT?
See more »
Crazy Credits
There are no ending credits, the film ends after shots of newspaper headlines detailing Karen Carpenter's death. See more »Soundtracks
For All We KnowWritten by Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson and Jimmy Griffin
Performed by The Carpenters
See more »
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All of Todd Haynes' heroes are outsiders, even Karen Carpenter. As portrayed in "Superstar," she's too square to hang with anyone hipper than Dionne Warwick, but too grown-up to cope with the strict confines of her suburban upbringing, and ceaselessly stalked by the insecurity manifested in her anorexia. Some of the details are probably over-sensationalized, and Richard probably deserved a fairer shake than the movie gave him, but the essentials of Karen's battle with herself are all there in chilling detail. Oh yeah, and the songs, featuring Karen's lead vocals and drumming, and Richard's underrated arrangements, are pretty good too. If you can't see this one, at least get hold of the songs and update your ears.