A Star is Born

Though I'm still a few movies behind (as far as what I want to see that's currently in theaters), I tried to keep from falling farther behind by going to see Stardust today. This is the fantasy adventure adapted from Neil Gaiman's book, starring a number of recognizable names and faces, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, and Peter O'Toole, among others.

I found the movie quite enjoyable. Whatever figurative "target" that the movie The Princess Bride hits the bullseye on, Stardust at least scores a hit. It's not anywhere near as good (but then, The Princess Bride is #3 on my top 100 list, so hardly anything is!), but I can't really think of any other movies that played in this space well in the last twenty years. It's whimsical and fun.

The cast is particularly commendable. And not just for their names alone. All these big actors really do give good performances. Michelle Pfeiffer seems to be having more fun in this villainous role than she did playing Catwoman. Robert De Niro might be a little over the top, but it's quite entertaining anyway. Peter O'Toole might be the best thing about the film, even though he's only in one scene -- he simply nails it.

But while Stardust does the whole "light-hearted" thing very well, it's not really that funny. Not throughout. And maybe it's not meant to be, but that's the piece I found lacking overall. It's enjoyable. It's amusing at times. I had a good time. But it's still just a B+ movie for me, not any kind of an A, because it's just somehow missing that last emotional spark to put it over the top.

But in any case, if you've seen the commercials or trailers and thought Stardust looked like something you'd want to see, then by all means do. I doubt you'll be disappointed.