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The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

definitely one of cinema's best and under-recognized musical classics. i've loved this movie dearly since i first had the pleasure of seeing and hearing it back in 1982. unfortunately and obviously, i was one of the very few persons here in the States that did. throughout the decades i have always raved and tried to discuss this movie with cinema fans and fans of film musicals. it never fails to draw a blank with everyone. even to this day, there are only twenty reviewers of it on IMDb. compare with the hundreds of reviewers of say, 'High School Musical'. how sad. 'HSM' certainly isn't as bold or intelligent, it isn't even as much fun as this. and the music and dance numbers in 'HSM' aren't nearly as clever or good.Jo Kennedy and Ross O'Donavan give some of the best performances i have ever seen by teen age actors. the 14 year old Donovan is hilarious and brilliant, giving a performance that is wise beyond his years, and the unexpectedly versatile Jo Kennedy is a marvel. not only is her performance comic and her singing off the chart, she also walks a tight rope. yes. literally walks tight rope. this was well before CGI effects and that is obviously her doing her own stunt.in fact. the opening scene with O'Donvan encouraging Kennedy to walk a tight rope over a busy intersection wearing a bare breasted body suit, is so immediately engaging and side splittingly funny. i've seen few movies get this funny this fast.anyone new to the musical 'Starstruck', may be surprised to find that this isn't just a cute and amusing film musical, but is also really good, low budget Aussie cinema. it often feels like what a musical would be like if it were directed by Peter Wier. it's musical numbers are extremely funny and in the example of the dance number "we all live like ants", very unconventional and innovative.in fact this is one of the most unconventional musicals ever made. and it still continues to be more original than most, some thirty years later. most large budget fiasco's would do best to study how this simple film, on a very low budget, manages to be as clever and innovative and so charming with very little resource except inspiration.

I'll try to describe this without any blatant spoilers, but I'm going to divulge some details, which, it is my hope, will not ruin any aspects of the story for the first-time viewer. I saw this movie three times in the theatres during it's initial USA release. I was in my early twenties and this movie really captured something that really spoke to me at the time. I was just so charmed by the infectious good feelings engendered in this movie and so delighted by the many visually stunning moments brought to life in vivid, brilliant and eye-popping color and the backdrop of the music was especially effective in reaching me at the time. The musical numbers were really strong, like, right from the first few moments, the first number by (the real Aussie band, headed up by former Split Enz member and total musical genius, Phil Judd) The Swingerz, "One Good Reason"/"Gimme Love", performed "live" in a club setting, with the edgy look and startling dancing going on, hit me like a punch in the gut and then I never looked back, once on the wild ride! I thought that what I was witnessing was the future, this was the beginning of something really smart, vibrant and way-cool! In a way it was, just a year or two later, Australian culture would storm the shores of the U.S. with INXS, Men At Work, Midnight Oil, Hoodoo Gurus, Mental As Anything and a host of other bands would put Australia on the map as a vibrant hot-bed of cool music and edgy culture forever. But, for me, it started with this movie, Star Struck.The design and the look of this film, from the great look of the "Lizard Lounge" for the first couple of numbers, the kitchy and cool Harbor View Hotel, where Jackie and Angus lived, the awful disco scene of the "Wow! Show", the brilliant homage to the Busby Berkeley "By A Waterfall" number, in the roof-top swimming pool water ballet, the wonderful choreography of the "regulars" who drank at he Harbor View in "She's Got Body, She's Got Soul", to the against-all-odds guerrilla taking of the stage at the Opera House and the wonderful finale - I thought this truly original film was as visually stunning as it was musically forward-reaching. The undeniable enthusiasm of the stars to make it also hearkened back to particular themes, like, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland putting on a show! This film, first released in 1982, has held up pretty well. The heart and soul invested and genuine enthusiasm captured in following some young teens in their journey from starry- eye dreamers languishing in obscurity to their amazing triumph, awash in hysterical screams by the end, is so irresistibly infectious that I don't see how anyone could NOT love this movie! My VHS copy had become pretty worn out and I was so glad to see that it was finally issued in the USA on a nice, two-disc DVD edition, with some wonderful extras, worthy of original. I will say that it took me the longest time to understand all of the dialogue, what with the heavy Australian accents and slang which was unfamiliar to me, but it was such a pleasure to view it over and over that I was happy to decipher every morsel!

The director of "My Brilliant Career", the Production Designer of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", a choreographer working without trained dancers, several script writers and many composers bring a low-budget post-punk vitality to Sydney Australia.As the commentary on the DVD mentions, the prints of Starstruck seem to have been severely cut in different releases, and this print has at least one song hacked out of the release I saw in 1982. Still, the bouncy energy survives. Teenage lust and ambition are tempered with working class family values. The homage to Richard Lester and gay Busby Berkeley routine are still hilarious, and the finale will have your toes a-tapping.

One of the best original rock musicals! I have just seen the DVD release, having not seen the movie in about 20 years and it holds up very well. It is not at all dated. All of the songs, except for the one which is intentionally bad, are great memorable songs...apparently thanks to Phil Judd of The Swingers. Casting really makes the film. Great chemistry between the two cousins Jackie (Joe Kennedy) and Angus (Ross O Donovan).Although the plot is somewhat thin, as is typical for this type of movie, it moves along quite nicely and has good light-hearted humor.See the movie, you will not be disappointed.