Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There are two possible ways which approach to give to the 43-minute short film "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story". The first would be to see it as a historic documentary about a culture phenomenon and the tragic fate of a young woman who was among the biggest stars of her generation. The second would be to see it as a documentary film that teaches us about the horrors of anorexia. You have to decide yourself what path you take or if you try to see it as a mixture of both. This film was written and directed by Todd Haynes, early in his career, over 25 years ago. He went on to become an Academy Award nominee later. The best thing about this short film is probably the music. Some wonderful songs in here that are very catchy and have been covered so many times. My favorite is probably "Rainy Days and Mondays", but there are many other great recording in here as well. A really interesting short film. It is probably personal preference as to how much you like the doll sequences and re-enactments, but for me they were fine. Highly recommended.

In New York in the 1980s I recall there were always these low-budget short art films floating around, shown in clubs or bars to audiences who all dressed in black and didn't own televisions. Superstar is reminiscent of the movies I saw back then, although it's somewhat more focused and coherent than most of them.Using Barbie dolls to play real people is an interesting device that works to some extent. The movie has a well meaning concern with anorexia, and tries to explain, a little bit, what it is and how it happens.On the other hand, the movie has, like most art films, a lot of pretentious, random shots (in this case of holocaust victims and spanking) and the movie seems to have an ax to grind with Richard Carpenter; he is portrayed as domineering and unsympathetic and it is implied, for no reason that I can see, that he is gay. (On the other hand, the movie ignores his drug problems.) But the real problem with the movie is it's not all that interesting. The story itself is somewhat interesting, but 45 minutes is a long time to spend with bland Barbie dolls and the movie's lack of conventional movie devices such as character development just illustrate why art films never do well beyond a niche audience who so hates Hollywood that they fall in love with any movie that purposely flouts film conventions.The irony is that the thing that powers the movie and keeps it from being completely painful is the most movie-conventional quality, the wall-to-wall Carpenters sound track.

Despite the poor video quality of the streaming version I had seen and the unreadable subtitling I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I found myself drawn into the story. When I originally sought it out, it was really out of little more than curiosity. I wanted to see the doll slowly shaved away. I wanted to see why it would be banned in the USA.There is so much more to this movie, though. I was dragged into the story by the music, something I didn't expect not being a fan. Karen Carpenter's voice seems more tinged with pain and surrender once you hear it contrasted against the turmoil of the early '70's and her own uncontrollable urges.Eventually her life and career spiral out of control until her death. This could possibly be the best film on anorexia nervosa and the price of success. Also, in a strange way, it appears to treat Karen Carpenter with respect. Well worth the viewing.

When I first heard of a Karen Carpenter movie acted out by Barbie dolls, I thought, "Yeah, right." Actually, it's not half-bad, revealing the ugly side of brother Richard and their parents. It's a shame the movie has been only available through the underground, though, as it portrays the heart-breaking effects of anorexia through clinical narration, montage, and pop culture to great effect. The use of dolls is actually ingenious, as we come to see how Karen was manipulated by her family, her record company, and society to conform to unattainable perfection. Although banned by numerous lawsuits, this film is available through alternative resources. If you look hard enough, you can find it.