_Superstar_ (PG-13) ** (out of ****)
Lorne Michaels and his SNL Studios have better luck with this big-screen outing of meek Catholic school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher (Molly Shannon) than they did with their previous _Saturday_Night_Live_ adaptation, last fall's horrendous _A_Night_at_the_Roxbury_. That's because, unlike _Roxbury_'s head-bobbing Butabi brothers, there's more to the character of Mary than a single characteristic--there's also a lot of heart. Although director Bruce McCulloch and writer Steven Wayne Koren do offer a taste of what Mary is known for--that is, reciting movie monologues and knocking over and/or breaking stuff--what keeps the film engaging, albeit superficially, is the gentle sweetness that Shannon gives her.
But, much like an _SNL_ skit, _Superstar_ ultimately misses more than it hits. The story has Mary trying to impress her dream guy (Will Ferrell)--and earn her first kiss--by entering a school talent competition, and from this thin wisp of a story emerges a few funny and amusingly bizarre set pieces, notably a memorable scene with a tree and a couple of musical production numbers. Between those moments, however, are too many gags that don't work, namely a bunch of unfunny fantasy sequences: recurring appearances by a groovy Jesus Christ (also played by Ferrell), a strained send-up of _Armageddon_, and, most painfully, a supermodel photo shoot. Forced bits of padding such as those just show that the concept really doesn't merit more than the five minutes its allotted on Saturday nights.
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CinemaReview Magazine: http://www.CinemaReview.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
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