Hollywood actresses often artificially enhance their breasts with silicon in order to boost their careers, but its rather uncommon for them to do it for the sake of a single role. One such rare occurrence allegedly happened when Mariel Hemingway had her breasts surgically enhanced shortly before starring in Star 80, biopic directed by Bob Fosse and dedicated to the short and tragic life of Canadian model and aspiring actress Dorothy Stratten.
The film begins in Los Angeles house where Paul Snider (played by Eric Roberts), nude and covered in blood, rants surrounded by photos of his wife Dorothy Stratten (played by Hemingway). Through the flashback plot moves to 1978 Vancouver where Snider is introduced as club promoter, small time con man and part time pimp. He meets teenage Stratten while she works in local fast food restaurant. Using her naivety, he seduces her and tries to launch her career in adult entertainment industry by making her pose nude for photographs. Some of those photographs reach Playboy Magazine and Stratten gets invited to Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles where she leaves good impression on magazine’s founder Hugh Heffner (played by Cliff Robertson). In August 1979 she becomes Playmate of the Month and later becomes Playmate of the Year, which she tries to use as a springboard for acting career. She marries Snider, but their relationship is increasingly strained after he realises that his wife, surrounded by men richer and more influential like him, won’t need him any more. His jealousy escalates when Stratten goes to New York to star in a film that is supposed to be her big break and which is directed by Aram Nicholas (played by Roger Rees), film maker who falls in love with and starts romantic relationship with her.
Legendary choreographer and Broadway director Bob Fosse had all of his feature films dealing with dark or unpleasant subjects, but Star 80, which turned out to be his last, is the darkest and most depressive of them all. Based on the real life story that involved sex, violence and Hollywood celebrities, this film also allowed Fosse to engage in his favourite subject of dark side of show business. The script, based on Pulitzer Prize-winning magazine article by Teresa Carpenter, faithfully reconstructs them, although some details have been altered – Stratten’s mother (played by Carroll Baker) is not named while her younger sister Louise (played by Lisa Gordon) is renamed into “Eileen”; character of Aram Nicholas, is on the other hand, obvious alter ego of Peter Bogdanovich who directed Stratten in her last film They All Laughed. Fosse mixes conventional linear narration with quasi-documentary footage featuring Stratten giving media interviews during her life and her surviving friends, acquaintances and family members giving interviews following her death. This approach is at times confusing, but in the end helps with exposition and allowing the plot to move with much faster pace.
Mariel Hemingway appears naked or semi-nude for most of the films, with her silicone-enhanced breasts being significantly different than the natural pair displayed in her previous film Personal Best. Yet, her nudity is hardly titillating and even the sex scene is anything but erotic. Viewers are more likely to pay attention to her good acting abilities that allow her to portray kind-hearted and innocent young woman who would pay the ultimate price for her naivety. Her performance is, on the other hand, dwarfed by Eric Roberts thanks to Fosse’s decision to portray events from Snider’s point of view. Although unquestionably despicable character, Snider is very complex and Roberts convincingly portrays him as seemingly charming small time hustler, then pathetic loser and murderous lunatic in the end. Roberts did his job so well that many viewers might even feel sympathy for Snider while Stratten and dreams of fame and fortune slips from his grasp, only to be constantly reminded of what terrible thing he did in the end. Cliff Robertson does very good portrayal of Hugh Heffner, which is portrayed as seemingly kind father-figure to models in his famous mansion, while also a shrewd businessman who see them as tool of maintaining his power in Hollywood. Welsh actor Robert Rees is good as Bogdanovich’s alter ego, but he appears too late and too little to have proper impact. Some of the music choices are not so fortunate and Fosse at times allows certain lines of dialogue to be repeated without justification. Star 80 is nevertheless a very good film, although not the one you should recommend to viewers that need cheering up.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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