Stardust (2020 film)

Stardust is a 2020 biographical film about English singer-songwriter David Bowie and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, directed by Gabriel Range, from screenplay co-written by Range with Christopher Bell. Johnny Flynn stars as Bowie, alongside Jena Malone and Marc Maron in supporting roles.[5]

Stardust
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGabriel Range
Written by
  • Christopher Bell
  • Gabriel Range
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNicholas D. Knowland
Edited byChris Gill
Music byAnne Nikitin
Production
companies
  • Salon Pictures
  • Wildling Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 16 October 2020 (2020-10-16) (SDIFF)
  • 25 November 2020 (2020-11-25) (United States)
Running time
109 min
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$62,251[3][4]

Stardust was released in the United States on 25 November 2020, by IFC Films.

Premise

The film focuses on Bowie's abortive first tour of the US in 1971, his troubled relationships with his wife Angie and half-brother Terry Burns, and his creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona.[6]

Cast

Production

Casting

In August 2019, Johnny Flynn was revealed in a first image portraying Bowie.[6] Marc Maron, Aaron Poole, Roanna Cocharne, Jorja Cadence, Jeremy Legat, James Cade, Annie Briggs, and Ryan Blakley later joined in 2019 in supporting roles.

Filming

Filming commenced on 4 July 2019, taking place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and also in the United States, and concluded later in September 2019.

Music

Bowie's estate did not approve the film and did not grant rights to use Bowie's music.[7] Instead, Stardust has Bowie performing covers the real Bowie performed in this period, such as "I Wish You Would" by The Yardbirds and "Amsterdam" by Jacques Brel.[8]

Release

Stardust was scheduled to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Instead, the film premiered on 16 October 2020, at the San Diego International Film Festival.[10] In August 2020, IFC Films acquired US distribution rights.[11] It was released on 25 November 2020.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 19% based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The critics' consensus on the website reads: "Ground control to Major Tom, Stardust did not put its helmet on."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 35 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[13]

The A.V. Club's Ignatiy Vishnevetsky referred to the production as "velvet garbage" and concluding the film's version of Bowie to be "simply a mediocre jerk who needs roleplaying therapy to deal with his demons."[14] Simran Hans of The Observer gave the film one out of five and wrote: "the whole thing feels strangely pedestrian, unable to capture or channel Bowie's maverick spirit."[15] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film two out of five, describing it as "a strained, frustrating concoction that doesn’t do its subject justice", though he praised Flynn's performance as Bowie.[16] Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent also praised Flynn's performance, writing: "The actor-musician... is convincing as a tortured glam rocker – just not the one who ever sang about Major Tom’s interplanetary adventures." She also gave the film two out of five.[17] Tara Brady of The Irish Times also gave the film two out of five, writing: "Exasperating viewing for fans and certain to baffle newcomers, it's a curious, imaginative thing, but who exactly is it for?"[18] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter deemed it "a mostly listless odyssey, its lack of excitement compounded by the absence of Bowie's music."[19]

James Mottram of the South China Morning Post gave the film three out of five stars, writing: "If you compare Stardust to Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman ... then this David Bowie drama is like a rare groove B-side."[20] Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a C+, writing that "while there are flashes of originality in the film's script — which quite artfully builds on Bowie's worries with a distinctly personal edge — most of it is relatively straightforward, never as psychedelic or sophisticated as its opening shot".[21] In NME, Mark Beaumont gave the film four out of five, writing that it worked better as a "revelatory road-trip movie" rather than a biopic. He felt the lack of Bowie's music "robs the film of the sense that Bowie's glowering talent was being criminally ignored".[8] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle wrote: "Even though Stardust is not coated in gossamer, the film still has some glittery moments."[22]

References
  1. "Stardust (2020)". BBFC. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  2. Keslassy, Elsa (5 September 2019). "David Bowie Pic 'Stardust' Pre-Sells to Major Territories". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  3. "Stardust (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. "Stardust (2020)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  5. Kinane, Ruth (21 August 2019). "See the first photo of Johnny Flynn as David Bowie in upcoming film 'Stardust'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  6. "Stardust: David Bowie Biopic Shares First Pic Of Johnny Flynn As Music Icon". Empire. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  7. Arnold, Ben (1 February 2019). "David Bowie's son Duncan Jones slams plans for planned biopic about his dad". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. Beaumont, Mark (16 April 2020). "'Stardust' review: David Bowie biopic documents the genesis of an icon". NME. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  9. Reed, Ryan (12 March 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Over Coronavirus Precautions". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  10. "The Re-Imagined 2020 San Diego International Film Festival Announces Festival to Feature Virtual Village & Drive-In Movies!". San Diego International Film Festival. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  11. Wiseman, Andreas (19 August 2020). "David Bowie Road-Trip Movie 'Stardust' Secures U.S. Deal With IFC Films". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  12. "Stardust". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  13. "Stardust". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  14. Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (24 November 2020). "Stardust, the Bowie biopic without any Bowie songs, is velvet garbage". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  15. Hans, Simran (17 January 2021). "Stardust review – David Bowie biopic has no sparkle". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  16. Bradshaw, Peter (14 January 2021). "Stardust review – David Bowie biopic is an odd-couple oddity". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  17. Loughrey, Clarisse (14 January 2021). "Stardust is a flimsy, unrecognisable portrait of David Bowie in his early years – review". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  18. Brady, Tara (14 January 2021). "Stardust: David Bowie's 1971 tour of the US was disastrous. This film about it isn't much better". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  19. Rooney, David (16 April 2020). "'Stardust': Film Review | Tribeca 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  20. Mottram, James (17 March 2021). "Stardust: David Bowie drama sees the pre-fame rocker find his voice". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  21. Erbland, Kate (16 April 2020). "'Stardust' Review: David Bowie's Early Years Get a Timid Biopic With an Explosive Star Turn". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  22. Baumgarten, Marjorie (16 November 2020). "Sound Unseen Review: Stardust". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
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