Starlet 2012

J. Hoberman, ARTINFO.com: As its title suggests, "Starlet" is a Hollywood story, albeit one that Hollywood would not be likely to produce. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: A thrillingly, unexpectedly good American movie about love and a moral awakening ... Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Starlet is refreshingly unsentimental in its depiction of both youth and age. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: The film is about as indie as indie movies get, with a homemade, washed-out look that drives home the genuineness of the performances. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: This is confident, engrossing storytelling, and the actors are terrific. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Where it counts, "Starlet" ... allows its characters room to maneuver within the potential cliches. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: A strikingly unsentimental study in female friendship between unmoored souls in L.A.'s bleached, glamour-challenged San Fernando Valley. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Powerful sense of place roots film about the uneasy friendship between a 21 year old and an octogenarian. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: It's a character study about faith in connectedness, with an unforced love for cross-generational companionship that's special indeed. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: This slender film is bolstered by strong performances, particularly from Hemingway (daughter of Mariel) and her 85-year-old co-star. Read more

Scott Tobias, NPR: Starlet represents a welcome throwback to the smoggy West Coast character studies of the 1970s - and not just because the generational chasm between its two leads evokes Harold and Maude. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Baker effectively juxtaposes two vastly different worlds, though he never makes the case that either is as significant as the gauzy visuals suggest. Read more

Sara Stewart, New York Post: [An] ethereal slice of life in the San Fernando Valley ... Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Starlet sneaks up on you. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The film itself deserves praise for its portraits of these two women and the different worlds they inhabit. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: The plotline is unpromising - young porn actress befriends crotchety old lady - and the setup is underwhelming. But stick with "Starlet," and you'll reap unexpected rewards. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: You may have never heard of Sean Baker, but he's one of the most astute and least sentimental chroniclers of life on the fringes working in film today. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Unfortunately, the film signals its more serious aspirations aggressively, via "thoughtful" synth drones and an italicized parental subtext. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: [A] brittle, beautifully understated San Fernando Valley character study. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: An empathic, absorbing tale of the old and the beautiful, Starlet tracks an unlikely intergenerational friendship in the San Fernando Valley. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: "Starlet" is like a flower growing out of a septic tank. Read more