Superstar (film)

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Superstar

Theatrical Poster
Directed by Bruce McCulloch
Produced by Lorne Michaels
Written by Steve Koren
Starring Molly Shannon
Will Ferrell
Harland Williams
Elaine Hendrix
Tom Green
Mark McKinney
Music by Michael Gore (Song: "You Wanna Be A Star")
Cinematography Walt Lloyd
Editing by Malcolm Campbell
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) October 8, 1999
Running time 81 min
Country USA
Language English
Budget $14,000,000
Gross revenue $30,636,478
IMDb profile

Superstar is a 1999 comedy movie and Saturday Night Live spin-off about a quirky, socially inept girl named Mary Katherine Gallagher. The character was created by SNL star Molly Shannon and appeared as a recurring character on SNL in numerous skits. The story follows Mary Katherine trying to find her place in her Catholic high school. The movie is directed by former Kids in the Hall member Bruce McCulloch. The target audience for this film was girls between the age of 12 and 22.

It stars Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell and Elaine Hendrix. SNL and Kids in the Hall alum Mark McKinney, who appeared in many of the Mary Katherine Gallagher SNL skits on TV, also has a minor role as a priest.

Molly Shannon received a nomination for Blockbuster Entertainment Award "Favorite Actress - Comedy", but lost out to Heather Graham in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Mary Katherine Gallagher (Shannon) is an Irish-American Catholic school girl and social outcast in a crazy high school. She wants to be a superstar so she can get a kiss from Sky Corrigan (Ferrell). When Mary is sent to Special Education, she makes a new best friend, the tomboyish and equally socially-awkward Helen Lewengrub (Emmy Laybourne).

Mary sees her chance to become a superstar when her school promotes a talent show. She wants to try out, but Grandma Gallagher (Glynis Johns), will not let her. Mary tries out anyway, and when she goes to sign up, a stereotypical cheerleader, Evian Carrie Graham (Elaine Hendrix), gets in a fight with her. The fight causes Evian and Sky to break up, and now Sky is a "single hunk of beefcake on the rebound". Mary is now determined to get in the talent show so Sky will notice her. When Grandma Gallagher finds out that her granddaughter got into the talent show, she finally tells the truth about how her parents died - they were stomped to death while performing in a Riverdance-like competition. This is why Grandma Gallagher is against her granddaughter performing.

However, Grandma Gallagher decides to help Mary do her act in the talent show, as long as she performs for herself. Mary and the other Special Education students spend days practicing. Mary wins the competition as well as Sky's heart. When she kisses Sky though, she discovers he is a horrible kisser and chooses to kiss her friend Slater (Harland Williams) instead.

An important plot element concerns Mary's relationship with God (also played by Ferrell), who bears a resemblance to Sky (i.e. Mary's subconscious image of God). God appears before Mary in several key occasions to give her guidance and encouragement.

[edit] Cast

Actor Character
Molly Shannon Mary Katherine Gallagher
Will Ferrell Sky Corrigan/God
Elaine Hendrix Evian Graham
Harland Williams Eric Slater
Mark McKinney Father Tylenol Ritley
Glynis Johns Grandma Gallagher
Jason Blicker Howard
Gerry Bamman Father John Insomnic
Emmy Laybourne Helen
Jennifer Irwin Maria
Rob Stefaniuk Thomas Smith
Natalie Radford Autumn Winters
Karyn Dwyer Summer Falls
Tom Green Dylan
Chuck Campbell Owen

[edit] Trivia

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[edit] External links