October 24, 1999 -- I didn't go to "Superstar" when it first came to town because the trailer for the film looked really dumb. I was hoping it would go away and "Fight Night" would appear in its place. That did not happen, so I went to see it, and was pleasantly surprised. It is funny and there is unexpected warmth to it.

The film stars a couple of four-year Saturday Night Live performers, who also appeared in the disastrous "A Night at the Roxbury," Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell. Shannon plays a character she developed on Saturday Night Live, Mary Katherine Gallagher, while Ferrell plays the dual roles of high school hunk named Sky and a sort of god.

The basic plot is a very standard high school romance with a talent show competition thrown in. It is played far from straight however, and it has some truly surrealistic characters, such as a deity and an oddball collection of special education kids. One of the best of the bunch is Helen, well played by Emmy Laybourne in her feature film debut. Helen, a high school outcast like Gallagher, becomes her friend, because she suffers from some of the same problems.

Mary Katherine Gallagher, like Helen, is a very interesting character. She is an outcast at school, the butt of constant jokes and derision, yet, she can be agressive and has faith in her abilities. She pursues her goal of being a star with single-minded determination despite the fact that no one else believes in her. She simply won't give up. Sometimes the lack of support gets her down and she loses confidence in herself. At times she lashes out against her enemies, then just as quickly withdraws and becomes apologetic.

Helen, who has a little too much testosterone in her blood is also strong and agressive, yet she also lacks confidence at times. It is these wild swings between aggression and confidence and shyness and deference that gives these two characters their edge and makes them very unpredictable. Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher character is bizarre, doing such odd things and smelling her armpits and French-kissing trees, but she's also somehow strangely appealing. She won me over with her determination to succeed. Mary Katherine Gallagher is a unique character, who can carry a film a long way.

Most people can relate to kids who are outsiders and who are hurt by the cruelty of other high school kids. This movie works that angle well and it also uses the old "Revenge of the Nerds" subplot. There are also some imaginative dream sequences. There is a lot of physical comedy in the film, but most of it doesn't work well. The comedy that is character-driven works much better.

While the plot is well-worn and somewhat clumsily put together, the fine performance of Shannon as the main character powers the movie along pretty well until the film stumbles to its predictable conclusion. This movie rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.