Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

"The brand new… All new"

1987 0h 43m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 67

DramaMusicHistory

Synopsis

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The final 17 years of American singer and musician Karen Carpenter, performed almost entirely by modified Barbie dolls.

“The brand new… All new”

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Cast

Merrill Gruver
Karen (voice)
Michael Edwards
Richard (voice)
Melissa Brown
Mother (voice)
Rob LaBelle
Dad / Mr. A&M (voice)
Cynthia Schneider
Dionne Warwick (voice)
Todd Haynes
Todd Donovan
Bruce Tuthill
Narrator (voice)
Gwen Kraus
Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Todd Haynes, Cynthia Schneider
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 43-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Todd Haynes, shot by Barry Ellsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Todd Haynes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Merrill Gruver and Michael Edwards and Melissa Brown carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The brand new… All new".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094075 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Todd Haynes directs. Barry Ellsworth behind the camera. Todd Haynes cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 43-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Todd Haynes, shot by Barry Ellsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Todd Haynes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Merrill Gruver and Michael Edwards and Melissa Brown carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The brand new… All new".
8IMDB entry: tt0094075 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 67 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.