Star 80

Star 80
Promotional poster
Directed by	Bob Fosse
Produced by	Wolfgang Glattes Kenneth Utt
Screenplay by	Bob Fosse
Based on	Death of a Playmate by Teresa Carpenter
Starring	Mariel Hemingway Eric Roberts Cliff Robertson Carroll Baker Roger Rees David Clennon
Music by	Ralph Burns
Cinematography	Sven Nykvist
Edited by	Alan Heim
Production company	The Ladd Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	November 10, 1983 (limited) February 3, 1984
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$12 million
Box office	$6,472,990[1]

Star 80 is a 1983 American film based on, though fictionalized somewhat, Playboy model Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her husband Paul Snider in 1980. The film was directed by Bob Fosse, and stars Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts. Hugh Hefner sued the producers of the picture, stemming from his disapproval of how he was depicted in the film. In accordance with the family's wishes, Dorothy's mother is never mentioned by name in the movie, and the names of her sister and brother were altered. Other names were also changed due to legal concerns.

The film was shot on location in Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California; the death scene was filmed in the same house in which the murder-suicide actually took place. The story is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Village Voice article "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter; the film's title was taken from Snider's vanity license plates.

Star 80 was the second movie based on the murder of Stratten. It was preceded by the 1981 television film Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story in which Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed Stratten, and Bruce Weitz portrayed Paul Snider.

Roberts was widely praised for his performance, earning the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. Star 80 was the last film to be directed by Bob Fosse.

Plot

In 1978, teenage Dorothy Stratten is working at a Dairy Queen in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia when Paul Snider, a brash, narcissistic, small-time scam artist and pimp, makes her acquaintance. He charms her into letting him take her to her high-school prom. Dorothy's mother is immediately suspicious of Paul, particularly his attempts to ingratiate himself with Dorothy's younger sister. At the dance, quick-tempered Paul stabs her snide ex-boyfriend in the behind with a pocketknife. Afterwards, however, he wins over Dorothy with his attention and flattery, until finally he gets her to agree to pose nude for Polaroid photographs. He then uses the photographs to persuade a professional to create photographic portfolios of her. After cheating the first professional out of the promised fee, he uses a second professional and sends the second portfolio to Playboy, after forging Dorothy's mother's signature on an age consent form. Playboy invites Dorothy to come to Los Angeles to pose for a professional photographer.

Playboy founder and publisher Hugh Hefner is taken with Dorothy's beauty and innocence, which fit the Playboy criteria, making her Playmate of the Month for the issue of August 1979, offering her accommodation and giving her a job as a "Bunny" at an L.A. Playboy Club. Paul pressures her into marrying him, which Dorothy agrees to, mostly out of gratitude. She begins an acting career with small film and television roles and is made Playmate of the Year for 1980.

Paul begins spending money they don't have, going as far as to purchase a Mercedes sports car with the vanity license plate STAR 80. He squanders more of her money on failed business ventures and is increasingly eclipsed by Dorothy's success, making him feel dejected. Paul begins inviting himself to the Playboy Mansion, with or without Dorothy, which annoys Hefner. At a party at the Mansion, Dorothy catches the eye of movie director Aram Nicholas, whom Hefner wheedles into letting her read for a part in his upcoming film. Paul is convinced that Aram is sleeping with her, and harasses her at home and work. He hires a private investigator to follow her, who tells him that Dorothy and Aram are indeed sleeping together. Paul investigates suing her in his roles as informal manager and husband but is told that he has a weak case. He then buys a shotgun.

Paul begs Dorothy for one last chance, but she insists that she is going to leave him. Disregarding Aram's plea for her to not see Paul again, she agrees to one last surreptitious meeting with her estranged husband at their house, hoping to placate him with a financial settlement. He first pleads with her not to leave him, then flies into a rage and rapes her. He picks up the shotgun and shoots Dorothy, killing her with a point-blank blast to the face. He then sexually violates her lifeless body before turning the gun on himself.

Cast

• Mariel Hemingway as Dorothy Stratten
• Eric Roberts as Paul Snider
• Cliff Robertson as Hugh Hefner
• Carroll Baker as Dorothy's Mother
• Roger Rees as Aram Nicholas
• Stuart Damon as Vince Roberts
• Josh Mostel as Private Detective
• David Clennon as Geb
• James Luisi as Roy
• Keenen Ivory Wayans as Comic

Crew

• Bob Fosse - Director/Screenwriter
• Wolfgang Glattes — Producer
• Kenneth Utt — Producer
• Sven Nykvist - Director of Photography
• Grace Blake — Associate Producer

Reception

The film was screened out of competition at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.^[2] The Washington Post called it "Bob Fosse's latest stylish stinker." Gene Siskel placed the film on his top-ten list of the best films of 1983, taking into account that the film was very unpleasant to watch.^[3] Roger Ebert gave the film four-out-of-four stars and deemed it an "important movie".^[4]

Appearing with Siskel on an October 1986 edition of The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, Ebert said, to agreement from Rivers and Siskel, that Roberts "should have been Oscar nominated." Ebert spoke of a "Star 80 syndrome," with Gary Oldman's reading of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy being snubbed for the same reason as Roberts' turn: "Hollywood will not nominate an actor for portraying a creep, no matter how good the performance is."^[5]

The film opened in 16 theaters grossing $233,312 its opening weekend. Eventually the film grossed a total of $6,472,990 domestically with 502 theaters being its widest release.^[6] Star 80 maintains an 90% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

References

External links

• Star 80 on IMDb
• Star 80 at AllMovie
• Star 80 at Rotten Tomatoes