'Starlet' refers to an adorable Chihuahua of the same name, owned by Jane (Dree Hemingway), an actor of the adult entertainment variety. Perhaps Jane aspires to be a starlet herself but is content when we first meet her, to room with two other denizens of the adult entertainment industry, coke-addicted Melissa and her pimp, Mikey, in a small but comfy San Fernando Valley apartment.
Director Sean Bake has propelled Jane on a journey of redemption when she meets Sadie, an elderly woman, who is selling some of her personal items at a garage sale. After Jane buys an old vase from Sadie, a veritable curmudgeon, she brings it home and suddenly discovers $10,000, in rolled up $100 bills, hidden inside. Jane finds the money does come in handy and decides to keep it. But by the same token, she feels guilty and then attempts to befriend the old woman, perhaps as an act of penitence.
At first Sadie is extremely suspicious of Jane's motives, culminating in Sadie's pepper spray attack on Jane, as the friendly porn actress drives her home. But now Sadie feels guilty how she treated Jane and decides to allow Jane into her life. There are forays to Sadie's weekly bingo game and later out to the cemetery, where Sadie wistfully places flowers on the grave of her long-deceased gambler husband (perhaps the husband stashed the money in the vase without Sadie's knowledge; or perhaps Sadie just plain forgot the money was inside the vase).
Meanwhile, there's a sub-plot involving Melissa, who has a meltdown over her alleged mistreatment at the hands of her porn industry boss, with level-headed Jane coming to her rescue. When Starlet drags out the purse containing the pilfered cash, Melissa discovers the stash and decides to help herself to a few hundred for a few car down payments. Jane of course doesn't even notice. Eventually, the second act crisis involves Melissa, in a fit of jealousy, revealing to Sadie that Jane took her money.
Jane and Melissa perhaps represent the dichotomy in the adult entertainment world. Porn actresses such as Jane, despite their involvement in a world that many consider sleazy, can still operate with their head above water. Case in point: her humanitarian concern for Sadie. Melissa, on the other hand, represents the dark side of porn--she is narcissistic, angry, jealous and vindictive. Mikey perhaps is more the comic relief--even both Jane and Melissa find that the pole he installs in the living room (for pole dancing), is ridiculous.
Starlet's central problem is the poorly developed Sadie. She's played by Besedka Johnson, a neophyte, discovered at a local YWCA gym. Johnson can do little with a character that is so one-note and who we find out so little about. Some may find the relationship between Jane and Sadie to be touching but ultimately it really doesn't go anywhere. I would go so far as to say that the appeal of the relationship is strictly sentimental at its core. Nonetheless, Sadie's decision not to listen to Melissa's tirade against Jane, and ending up going with her to Paris, is proof of the film's inherent optimism.
In the end, my feelings about 'Starlet' are ambivalent. I found the scenes involving the machinations within the adult entertainment world to be somewhat interesting. Less so with the perfunctory relationship between Jane and Sadie. 'Starlet' wins points because it suggests that even a porn actress can have a good heart. It also does well in examining the flip side: the aforementioned dark side of porn, embodied by the character of Melissa. Ultimately, the relationship between the principals proves to be too ordinary and lugubrious, to be considered dramatically effective.
Director Sean Bake has propelled Jane on a journey of redemption when she meets Sadie, an elderly woman, who is selling some of her personal items at a garage sale. After Jane buys an old vase from Sadie, a veritable curmudgeon, she brings it home and suddenly discovers $10,000, in rolled up $100 bills, hidden inside. Jane finds the money does come in handy and decides to keep it. But by the same token, she feels guilty and then attempts to befriend the old woman, perhaps as an act of penitence.
At first Sadie is extremely suspicious of Jane's motives, culminating in Sadie's pepper spray attack on Jane, as the friendly porn actress drives her home. But now Sadie feels guilty how she treated Jane and decides to allow Jane into her life. There are forays to Sadie's weekly bingo game and later out to the cemetery, where Sadie wistfully places flowers on the grave of her long-deceased gambler husband (perhaps the husband stashed the money in the vase without Sadie's knowledge; or perhaps Sadie just plain forgot the money was inside the vase).
Meanwhile, there's a sub-plot involving Melissa, who has a meltdown over her alleged mistreatment at the hands of her porn industry boss, with level-headed Jane coming to her rescue. When Starlet drags out the purse containing the pilfered cash, Melissa discovers the stash and decides to help herself to a few hundred for a few car down payments. Jane of course doesn't even notice. Eventually, the second act crisis involves Melissa, in a fit of jealousy, revealing to Sadie that Jane took her money.
Jane and Melissa perhaps represent the dichotomy in the adult entertainment world. Porn actresses such as Jane, despite their involvement in a world that many consider sleazy, can still operate with their head above water. Case in point: her humanitarian concern for Sadie. Melissa, on the other hand, represents the dark side of porn--she is narcissistic, angry, jealous and vindictive. Mikey perhaps is more the comic relief--even both Jane and Melissa find that the pole he installs in the living room (for pole dancing), is ridiculous.
Starlet's central problem is the poorly developed Sadie. She's played by Besedka Johnson, a neophyte, discovered at a local YWCA gym. Johnson can do little with a character that is so one-note and who we find out so little about. Some may find the relationship between Jane and Sadie to be touching but ultimately it really doesn't go anywhere. I would go so far as to say that the appeal of the relationship is strictly sentimental at its core. Nonetheless, Sadie's decision not to listen to Melissa's tirade against Jane, and ending up going with her to Paris, is proof of the film's inherent optimism.
In the end, my feelings about 'Starlet' are ambivalent. I found the scenes involving the machinations within the adult entertainment world to be somewhat interesting. Less so with the perfunctory relationship between Jane and Sadie. 'Starlet' wins points because it suggests that even a porn actress can have a good heart. It also does well in examining the flip side: the aforementioned dark side of porn, embodied by the character of Melissa. Ultimately, the relationship between the principals proves to be too ordinary and lugubrious, to be considered dramatically effective.