Stage Struck Review
Considering the fact that its leading lady gives an actively annoying performance, it's surprising that Stage Struck actually turns out to be a moderately entertaining money. Now, it won't be mistaken for a great movie, mind you, especially with a script that is built on a foundation of clichés that threatens to collapse underneath it at any moment. Yet there's something kind of fun in all the clichés, at least enough that most viewers will chortle and roll their eyes rather than reach for the remote. It also helps that director Sidney Lumet and cinematographers Franz Planer and Morris Hartzband have filmed in New York City itself, making Manhattan into a major character; the snowy sequence in Central Park is especially wonderful. Of course, there is that problematic performance of Susan Strasberg to contend with, and some viewers simply will not be able to get past it. It's not just that Strasberg is over the top; the part, after all, is an aspiring actress. It's that (1) we never really believe that this girl has the talent to succeed so smashingly, and (2) we really never believe that the men around her would all, to different degrees, find her so enchanting as to fall in love with her. The rest of the cast, fortunately, makes up for Strasberg's shortcomings, with Henry Fonda getting to play a part that's somewhat offbeat for him, Herbert Marshall wonderful as the experienced older actor and a very young Christopher Plummer very impressive as the playwright. Craig Butler, Rovi
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