Stardust Memories | Rotten Tomatoes

Stardust Memories

PG

Released Sep 26, 1980

1 hr. 31 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

66%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Can a comedian evolve into a challenging artist? Not in the public's view, as Sandy Bates (Woody Allen) learns the hard way. The hostile comments persistently hurled at him indicate that audiences prefer his earlier slapstick comedies over his recent work: allegorical black-and-white head-scratchers in the vein of European art films. Invited to attend a retrospective of his work, the former funny man must come to terms with critics, audiences, lovers and, ultimately, himself.

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Critics Consensus

Woody Allen throws himself a pity party with all the surrealistic trimmings of Federico Fellini in Stardust Memories, a scabrous self-portrait that rankles as often as it impresses stylistically.

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Alec B

Despite what Allen claims, it's hard to not see this as a manifestation of his own anxieties about his career and audience. Regardless the movie is quite funny and an effective homage of Fellini

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

ed m

Interesting. Not great but fun. Strictly for Woody Allen fans.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Shioka O

Story is not noteworthy. You'll see strong influences from European film directors like Fellini. Great cinematography by Gordon Willis as always!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/22

Full Review

christopher c. m

Woody Allen might as well played himself, everyone knows that who is basically is in the movie. Down to wonder why he's not making comedies anymore. The answer is simple Woody wanted Oscars more than laughs or making anything remotely entertaining for audiences. But the movie is basically everyone stroking Allen's ego. Frankly I think Woody Allen is overrated. When he was making movie like "Sleeper" I liked him. I didn't care for "Love and Death" but at least it was funny. Other than stroking his ego, nothing happens. Even the poster is pretty much nothing and not connected to the main plot, it's just a scene of a movie being filmed in the movie. It's just another Woody Allen sleeper and I mean that in a bad way as in it makes you want to sleep.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of Woody's finest, but that's something I can say about more than 20 of his films. This one is funny, complex, beautiful, existential, intelligent and artful. At the end it can be seen as a film, within a film, within a film. Love it every time!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very funny, yet poignant look at celebrity. Prophetic really considering John Lennon was killed by a "fan" not long after the release of this movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Woody Allen

Director

Woody Allen

Sandy Bates

Charlotte Rampling

Dorrie

Jessica Harper

Daisy

Tony Roberts

Tony

Daniel Stern

Actor

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

In Stardust Memones, Woody Allen degrades the people who respond to his work and presents himself as their victim.

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

Linda Deutsch

Associated Press

This one is best seen by film buffs and blindly devoted Woody Allen fans who will accept even his castigation. The rest of us can hope he cheers up soon.

Jan 29, 2019

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Though there are laughs along the way, this is a truly mean-spirited picture.

Mar 23, 2009

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Certainly, it's one of Woody Allen's most bilious works, but it's largely this unbridled furiosity that makes the film such an intriguing watch.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 1, 2022

Full Review

Norman Dresser

Toledo Blade

Woody Allen's new picture, Stardust Memories, is a most curious work, often hilariously funny as only Allen can be, sometimes a parody of Allen films, and, as a whole, perhaps the least successful of any of his movies in the last five years.

Jul 14, 2022

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

New West/California

Stardust Memories is a very sharp film, a black comedy of despair if you will, and though the jokes are extraordinarily bitter and biting, they are plentiful and they are breathtakingly funny.

Nov 4, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Can a comedian evolve into a challenging artist? Not in the public's view, as Sandy Bates (Woody Allen) learns the hard way. The hostile comments persistently hurled at him indicate that audiences prefer his earlier slapstick comedies over his recent work: allegorical black-and-white head-scratchers in the vein of European art films. Invited to attend a retrospective of his work, the former funny man must come to terms with critics, audiences, lovers and, ultimately, himself.

Director: Woody Allen
Executive Producer: Charles H. Joffe, Jack Rollins
Screenwriter: Woody Allen
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists
Production Co: United Artists, Rollins-Joffe Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 26, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Sound Mix: Mono

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