Starcrossed (1985)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

As Good As It Gets

Absolutely brilliant

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Weird and poorly made sci-fi romance TV movie about an alien (Belinda Bauer) with an 1980s Human League short haircut who is on the run from alien hitmen and is rescued and romanced by a young James Spader. The romance isn't all the compelling and the action elements are not all that exciting either. The only real point of interest is seeing Spader in an early leading role, getting to play the hero instead of his usual 80s smarmy jerk supporting parts (i.e. "Pretty in Pink," "Mannequin," "Less Than Zero," etc.), although I suppose he did get to play the hero of "Tuff Turf." For an actress I hadn't really heard of before, Bauer is quite good as the alien. After looking at her filmography, I saw that she played a memorable villain in "Robocop 2" and was in "Winter Kills" and "Flashdance," but I don't remember her in those two films. There's also a good score by the underrated composer Gil Melle. Overall, this is a pretty bad movie that's made watchable by two good leads.

Everyone looking for the film you can catch it on Starz Encore Drama. I get DirecTV so not sure which channel you might find it on cable, but Starz Encore is a good bet. Cute film. What is it about 80s film culture that makes you warm and fuzzy inside? Also, I remember the locations shot around Toronto, Canada. Very nostalgic because these places are much different now, and a few buildings and stores no longer exist. I believe this was a failed TV pilot. There are a few other Canadian based TV shows I have been searching for that were filmed around this time (early 80s). Night Heat, Friday the 13th, and War of Worlds.

Awful is a good word to start with. are you others stuck in the 80's or just pretentious film students? i have seen better "stuff" in my toilet. i am a James spader fan, but after seeing this movie early one morning suffering from insomnia i question his ability as a person. for Christ's sake he is a fellow mick and Bostonian and could not pull off the accent! not only that the movie sucked more than a hooker on a good day! all you lovers of starcrossed, it is time to put away the d&d game and move out of mom's house and get a job. if i ever see this movie on my t.v. again i will vomit and then drop my t.v. off a thirteen story building! James spader should be ashamed, better yet humiliated for ever even thinking this movie was a good career move! and you lovers of it GET A LIFE!

Clever, vastly underrated little ABC Circle Films production starring James Spader,(pre-Stargate; sex,lies, and videotape)Belinda Bauer in a totally believable performance,(compare to Jeff Bridges in the more highly-acclaimed "Starman")and even a young Clark Johnson (Homicide: Life on the Street.) Special effects were low-budget but the direction,cinematography, and Gil Melle's beautiful score make this one a keeper and a film to watch over and over. Lifetime has shown this movie occasionally (though why it's always edited for length and content, I'll never know)but, other than that, I've never seen a repeat. Find it if you can; to my knowledge, it's never been released on DVD but there is a VHS version floating around Europe somewhere. Hope its not PAL.