Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 70s.
"GLOW" standout Sydelle Noel answers five of the most essential film and TV questions.
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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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Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Performed by Elton John and Kiki Dee
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was pulled from circulation in 1990, after a cease-and-desist order for unauthorized use of The Carpenters' music. As of 2016, sale or distribution of the film remains illegal. Hundreds of bootleg copies have been sold. See more »Goofs
In the opening sequence, as the camera rounds the corner on its way into Karen's bedroom, a crew member is visible at the end of the hallway. See more »Quotes
Narrator: Following World War II, and the end of rationing in the early 50s, America was reacquainted with food as plentiful and cheap. There were vast changes in food delivery, availability and storage. Refrigerators, already a part of the American kitchen, became common place and thus eliminated the need for daily shopping. The growth of supermarkets with their rows and rows of dairy products, canned goods, meats, condiments, bakery goods, vegetables, fruits and staples, brought a large display of food...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
Don't Go Breaking My HeartWritten by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Performed by Elton John and Kiki Dee
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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Unexplainably brilliant. You have to see it to believe it, really.
Understandably suppressed by Richard--I won't spoil it for you--it is at turns hiariously bitchy, grotesque, tender, and cruel. At the same time, it elevates the subject matter, leaving this viewer with a much deeper sense of appreciation for the Karen. I laughed at them, and it made my like both of them more.
The story is dramatized through carefully and minutely constructed sets populated by Barbie dolls clothed in carefully crafted period clothes. Karen's descent into anorexia is represented through whittling down the face and arms of the Barbie doll that portrays her, which has an effect both hilarious and disturbing.
All in all, it feels so much like a "real" documentary, I can't tell you that it isn't. It's treatment of the subject of annorexia and it's effect on Karen's life is at once silly and serious.
I saw it on DVD. The box had next to nothing printed on it. It was obviously bootlegged from somewhere, but the print I saw had good quality audio and visual.