My quick review of Bob Fosse's 'Star 80'

Star 80 is a 1983 film about Playboy model Dorothy Stratten written and directed by Bob Fosse who adopted the story from a 1981 Village Voice article entitled "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter. Eric Roberts, Mariel Hemingway, and Cliff Robertson round out the cast.

A pimp, inventor, and nightclub promoter named Paul Snider discovers 19 year old Dorothy Stratten working at Dairy Queen and sees her potential as a model. They do an impromptu photo shoot that results in her being invited to Los Angeles to meet Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner that opens the door to more opportunities. Feeling left out, Snider uses her emotional weaknesses as leverage to get money and material items out of her, including a red Corvette on which he puts the vanity plates Star 80. A series of flashbacks throughout the film show Snider naked and covered with blood.

Everything about Star 80 is perfect. The music is by Ralph Burns who also worked with Fosse on his 1979 film All That Jazz. The film’s terrific cinematography was done by Sven Vilhem Nykvist who was a longtime collaborator with Ingmar Bergman.  Everything about the period that the film is based on--the music, the cars, the clothes, the swagger--is perfect. 

Eric Roberts' performance as Paul Snider--the overachiever who is desperate for respect and recognition--is terrific although he didn't receive an Oscar nomination for this performance. Mariel Hemingway's performance as Dorothy Stratten-- the girl next door torn between her obligation to a blood-sucker and her promising career as a Playboy model--is also terrific. Cliff Robertson is also convincing as Hugh Hefner who pressures Dorothy to dump Snider. This may have or may not have been the tipping point  for Snider although Hugh Hefner sued the film's producer in objection to how the film depicted him. 

Bob Fosse was originally a dance choreographer. He directed 5 films including Cabaret which won 8 Academy Awards and also beat out The Godfather that year. Star 80 was his final film. When I think of how multi-talented Fosse was, I also think of Motown founder Berry Gordy who also went on to become an accomplished film director with no prior experience. Anyway, if you haven't seen Star 80 and you like Fosse's All That Jazz, it's a solid buy and you should pick it up.