Disney+’s Stargirl Does Music-Based Stories the Right Way
Whenever we find ourselves in strange and emotional times such as these (the COVID-19 crisis), we often turn to movies and music to be uplifted, entertained, and inspired. Combining both of those elements in a thoughtful and effective way can be tricky — and disastrous if done poorly (take most of Elvis’ movies, for instance). These movies are usually made with the intent of featuring the talents of a specific musician, but usually don’t take into account whether or not this musician can act…and often times they can’t. Disney+ seems to have hit the nail on the head with one of their latest originals, Stargirl, written and directed by Julia Hart (writer and director of Fast Color and Miss Stevens).
Based on Jerry Spinelli’s novel of the same name, Stargirl focuses on the character of Leo Borlock (Graham Verchere), a high school student in Mica, Arizona. Leo meets and becomes infatuated with the quirky, ukulele-playing Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal). Throughout the film, we see them begin a romance while also dealing with the pressures of conformity. In a seemingly bland town where “nothing ever happens,” as Leo puts it, Stargirl emerges to act as the colorful, caring, and contagious catalyst that catapults these small-town conformists into a new era of vitality.
Simply based on the marketing, it is obvious that the film’s major point is to feature Grace VanderWaal as a singer and musician, making her real-life quirks and artistry the focus. Although I am personally a fan of hers, I’m not usually a fan of many of these types of movies for the following reasons:
- They often sacrifice quality of story for marketability and profits.
- Most feature poorly-written, ill-fitting songs to accompany the movie’s action. A lot of these may be extraneous to the story at hand.
And most importantly:
3. Musicians are not always great actors. In fact, they almost rarely are.
These conditions usually combine to make for some pretty atrociously cheesy movies. However, in the case of Stargirl, I was pleasantly surprised. The film is unexpectedly well-written, putting a heavy emphasis on the loveable characters we see on screen. Grace VanderWaal’s performance is also far greater than I imagined it would be. Had I not already known her from winning Season 11 of America’s Got Talent, I wouldn’t have even had any concerns about her acting. I would have just assumed she was an actress who had a great singing voice.
The visuals and tone of the movie are completely refreshing as well. Disney’s major theatrical releases usually consist of high production value, CGI, and intense action. This film takes advantage of being a streaming release in that it doesn’t have to work so hard to be huge box office hit, but can take the time to establish an individualistic tone with it’s style and aesthetics. We see lots of attention to costuming and wardrobe (especially Stargirl’s) and how it informs the characters and story. We even see parallels to Stargirl’s colorful essence sprinkled throughout the film in unexpected places, just to further establish her alleged omnipresence. (I’ll let you see if you can pick up on those Easter eggs yourself while you watch it.)
Combined with the fantastic selection of songs from artists like The Beach Boys, Big Star, and George Harrison, this film ignites a sense of dreamy infatuation and wraps us in a warm, patch-work quilt of nostalgia.
This movie also has no lack of characters and themes that do great things for diversity. Firstly, it has a female co-writer and director who has also written and directed other successful and diverse films. We see tons of ethnically diverse actors in this film who play vital roles with no stereotypes or stigmas (Karan Brar, Giancarlo Esposito, Maximiliano Hernández, Annacheska Brown, and Shelby Simmons, just to name a few). All of these characters are portrayed as unique individuals who play important roles in terms of story development.
If you happen to be a sensitive individual who enjoys a good movie about self-expression and the triumph of the human spirit, this film will definitely “strike a chord” with you. Exploring heavy themes of magic vs. reality, compassion, and individuality, Stargirl is a thought-provoking and sweet movie that will help you reconnect with your sense of self during this trying time. And maybe even shed a tear or two…because I totally did.
