Star for a Night: A sweet, slightly painful lie

Is it worth your time?

If you like those old-school melodramas where the stakes are mostly just hurt feelings and a few white lies, you’ll probably find something to love here. It’s not for the action crowd, that’s for sure. If you hate movies that make you squirm while characters dig themselves deeper into a hole of their own making, maybe skip this one.

There’s this moment early on where Jane Darwell, playing the blind mother, just radiates this pure, unbothered pride in her kids. You can tell it’s going to break, and it’s honestly kind of stressful to watch. She’s so sure they’re living the dream, and they’re all just… barely scraping by.

The kids are panicked, obviously. They scramble to rent fancy clothes and borrow nice furniture, and it’s a total circus. It reminded me a little bit of the chaotic energy in The Laugh on Dad, though here the tone is way more desperate.

Hattie McDaniel is in this, and honestly, she’s the only one who seems to be having a good time while everything else is falling apart. She brings a bit of grounded energy to a house that’s otherwise filled with people sweating through their shirts.

The pacing is a bit weird. It starts slow, then it’s just a frantic mess of hiding things in closets, and then it kind of just lands on an ending that feels like it was decided five minutes before the cameras started rolling. It’s not graceful, but it works.

There’s a scene where they’re trying to hide a sewing machine or something equally mundane, and it goes on just a little too long. It’s not funny, it’s just awkward. It feels like someone told the actors to 'keep doing the bit' until the director yelled cut.

It’s not as heavy as La dame aux camélias, but it’s got that same vibe of 'we have to keep up appearances at any cost.' Only, instead of tragic romance, it’s just people pretending they aren't broke.

The way the kids look at each other when she’s not watching is pretty great. It’s all in the eyes, you know? They look like they’re waiting for a bomb to go off. 💣

Anyway, it’s a short watch. Don't expect to be changed by it, but it’s a nice enough way to kill an hour if you’re in the mood for some classic Hollywood fibbing.