I can't think of a person who better fits the description 'sleaze' than Paul Snider (Eric Roberts), well, with the possible exception of the current guy in the White House (ok, that was a cheap shot but hey, honestly). It's a great performance from Roberts but that's just it, he's so disagreeable to watch and I just wish his character's life wasn't so much the focus of this film, even if he isn't portrayed in a flattering light. Mariel Hemingway is reasonably good as Dorothy Stratten I suppose, but I thought she was a little too listless and naïve in her characterization, and there's something sad to me about her taking a role in film dealing with such misogyny fresh off of breast enlargement surgery. It felt like too much of the appeal of the film was reveling in the various nude shots of her that are sprinkled throughout the film, and not enough about who Dorothy Stratten the human being really was. For the most part, the film steers clear of a broader indictment of the industry or of the men in power; for example, Hugh Hefner (Cliff Robertson) is shown mostly as a wise and benevolent father figure, though I appreciated how near the end Fosse drew a small parallel between how Snider finds and grooms this young woman and how Hefner operated. It's not nearly enough though.
Review of Star 80
