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| Credited cast: | |||
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Merrill Gruver | ... |
Karen
(voice)
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| Michael Edwards | ... |
Richard
(voice)
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Melissa Brown | ... |
Mother
(voice)
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| Rob LaBelle | ... |
Dad /
Mr. A&M
(voice)
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Nannie Doyle | ... |
Cherry Boone
(voice)
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Cynthia Schneider | ... |
Dionne Warwick
(voice)
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Larry Kole | ... |
Announcer
(voice)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Joanne Barrett |
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| Todd Haynes |
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Gwen Kraus | ... |
Narrator
(voice)
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Michelle Manenti |
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Moira McCarty |
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| Richard Nixon | ... |
Himself - President of the United States
(archive footage)
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Celia Pearce |
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| Ronald Reagan | ... |
Himself - President of the United States
(archive footage)
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Karen and Richard Carpenter are young musicians living with their parents in Downey, California. Richard shows great promise as a songwriter and Karen, who plays drums, begins to sing vocals, thrusting the duo into stardom. They become wildly successful, Karen's striking voice and Richard's soft melodies capturing the essence of the nation's yearning for calm after the turbulent Sixties. But Karen strives for perfection and becomes increasingly fearful of her weight, despite being a slender woman. Eventually she is diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a mental disease relating to stress, lack of control, and low self-esteem. A fight for Karen's life ensues. Written by Jim Beaver <[email protected]>
All of Todd Haynes' heroes are outsiders, even Karen Carpenter. As portrayed in "Superstar," she's too square to hang with anyone hipper than Dionne Warwick, but too grown-up to cope with the strict confines of her suburban upbringing, and ceaselessly stalked by the insecurity manifested in her anorexia. Some of the details are probably over-sensationalized, and Richard probably deserved a fairer shake than the movie gave him, but the essentials of Karen's battle with herself are all there in chilling detail. Oh yeah, and the songs, featuring Karen's lead vocals and drumming, and Richard's underrated arrangements, are pretty good too. If you can't see this one, at least get hold of the songs and update your ears.