User reviews

This movie is all about love and facts of life. May be that is the way which love,solidarity and hope really need to be told. Book of stars may be the story of the ordinary people' life that don't hide behind the painted masks.

I hate "Disease of the Week" movies that centre on the plight of a character with a major disease. One of the few to date with redeeming social value was "Lorenzo's Oil." I saw Book of Stars at the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival, and now we can add this movie to that list. Michael Miner's visual imagery is stunning, and the acting performances of Mary Stuart Masterson and Jena Malone are searing, riveting and astounding. Delroy Lindo adds some weight with his performance, and the story telling is superb. Even the potentially cliched hospital sequences ring true and are sure to moisten even the hardest heart's eyeballs. See this movie now!

"The Book of Stars" is a tale of two sisters; a 15 year old who is dying (Malone) and an older sib (Masterson) who turns to prostitution to pay medical expenses while trying to cope emotionally. With the look and feel of a low budget indie, "Book..." comes off like a weeper with a purpose although that purpose never quite crystallizes in spite of a brief narrated explanation at the end. The film showcases some solid performances by its ensemble cast and has many poignant moments which make it a worthwhile watch. However, the attempt to be visually poetic and work the "star" angle is nebulous (no pun) and a little less window dressing might have worked better though the final product does show sensitivity, heart, and compassion. An okay watch best saved for cable.

This is one of those small independent gems that apparently the studios refused to take a chance on and as a result is being seen solely on videotape and at assorted film festivals. I just had the pleasure of viewing it at the Sedona Film Festival, where after one showing word of mouth spread and the second and last viewing was packed. One of the things that made this film so memorable for me is that it took what could have been a terribly maudlin plot line -- one sister dying of cystic fibrosis being cared for by an older sister -- and elevated it to what I found to be a fascinating story of redemption and inspiration. It helps that the older sister is a cynical hooker, played by the ever-effective Mary Stuart Masterson, and that the younger sister is upbeat without being ickypoo cute, as played by Jena Malone, who no doubt is bound for glory despite's this film's failure to get wide distribution. Delroy Lindo, always effective but perpetually underused, is also marvelous as a kindly yet prickly friend to both sisters.

Finally, I shed tears at the end of this film, and I'm a cynical writer.

I don't know about you guys, but this movie brought tears to my eyes cause it made me see just how blessed we are to be able to do all the things we can do every day, she never made it to a fully grown woman, yet she taught us so many things. I really recommend it to everyone. It's a big reality check. It doesn't matter where you come from, because you will face the same problem wherever you go, sickness and eventually death, but the difference is how you want to face it. She was really brave and taught us how to fight and how to be united. She shared her love and even left a legacy behind. How many of us can say that if they left this planet right this instant they could leave something like that behind... and the legacy I am talking about is a book. A book never perishes, because it is filled with our memories, our thoughts and it can be read throughout generations and it can affect many people, like that man in prison for example.

I usually hate 'Tear-Jerkers' and I am very cynical about these types of dramas, however, this film is a complete magic - the best and most convincing performance I have seen of the three leading actors since 'Breaking the Waves'. Also, the movie atmosphere, the music and particularly the powerful relationships among the actors were unforgettable.

I was never in my life so moved by a film like 'Book of Stars' - a true jewel.

I bought this on DVD only because of my interest in Mary Stuart Masterson, (Some Kind of Wonderful 1987). I try to see all her films because she left an impression on a young teenager (yes me) all those years ago.

The performances were very good especially Jena Malone, whom i hope becomes as big as Scarlet Johansson. The problem for me was the storyline, it stuttered and stalled then leapt forward in one big lurch. The almost impossible realisation of her feelings as Kristjan leaves made no sense to me. There seemed no build up to this.

Oh well, off to try Heavens Prisoners.

John in Bonny Scotland

Not many movies makes me cry, this one did. Jena Malone is just so amazing in this film, as always ;-) There's nothing bad with this movie, the actors are superbr, the script & plot is o WOW, the story...yeah there's just so much that I love about it and NOTHING that I don't like. I'm going to see another Jena Malone movie right now ;-)

I saw this movie at the Spindletop Film Festival in Beaumont, Texas and was surprised to find myself in a theater full of crying people. It is a beautiful, dreamlike story of intense emotional realism, and a movie I will not soon forget. Why don't movies like this get distributed nationally?

This is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen! The music is simply astounding! I firmly believe that Mary Stuart Masterson's performance is her BEST. If you get a chance to see this, DO!

I worked on the production team for the movie as the office intern during the summer of 1998. I saw the film grow just to see it cut off when no studio would pick it up. But I got to see a screening of it with Mary Stuart Masterson's parents in NYC, and by the time it was over most of the theater was crying. It's a great movie with great performances. And the score is something to be experienced. I've never been so blown away by the music in a film. Find a copy of this if you can, because it's a great film that no one has heard of.

One of the touchiest movies I ever encountered, with a superb cast (Malone no doubt will become one of the most talented young actresses - remember BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA!). If you don't feel like crying after this film, you are definitely dead! Better refrain from watching when you're in a highly depressive mood though...

This is such a beautiful film. Both Mary Stuart Masterson and Jenna Malone deserve Oscars for this work. In fact, Miner deserves one too, as does Tasca Shaydix for her script. Come to think of it, this film has Oscar written all over it! Beautiful but not over-worked, uplifting but not unrealistic, sad but not depressing. It is great great great!

THE BOOK FO STARS is a remarkable exploration of the two sides of the female psyche, Madonna and the whore, embodied in the characters of its protagonists, two sisters, Mary and Penny. Penny is world weary and has turned to drugs and prostitution to hide from the reality that her parents are dead and her younger sister is dying of csytic fibrosis. Mary knows she will never Grow up, but sublimates that anxiety into a memory book she calls the "Book of Stars and Lovely Things". This book achieves a magical quality, in that it can anticipate future events and influence the way people around the sisters interact with them. Much like the work of the Polish director, Kieslowski, this film explores the nature of fate and how it works on the destiny of people, in ways they never expected. And Mary uses the powers of the book to bring someone into Penny's life, after she has died, who will change it forever. Fate is not an unfeeling machine, it is a road to the future.

Wonderful story and excellent acting. I saw it at the SxSW film festival in Austin and loved it. Worth seeing any way you can. The ONLY flaw is the one or two unnecessarily overdone special effects. Very cool love story and portrayal of two sisters and their relationship.

It's entitled "There isn't enough cement in the form of actors' performances or plot beats to solidify and manifest this melodrama's intentions."

I just HATE factual errors. This person said the movie is about a girl dying of lung cancer. NOT TRUE NOT TRUE NOT TRUE. And very important to note, thank you! Jena Malone's character is dying from a genetic disease called CYSTIC FIBROSIS that affects roughly 30,000 Americans. For those of you that actually wish to learn, try here: http://www.cff.org/home/

Other movies about characters with CF include: Sick http://imdb.com/title/tt0120126/ Alex: The Life of a child http://imdb.com/title/tt0090602/ Lifebreath http://imdb.com/title/tt0102267/

These aren't necessarily really spectacular movies, but they all address CF.

I recently saw this film at the Stony Brook Film Festival. It was a very beautiful and emotional film. Jena Malone's performance was incredible. I'm sure we are going to see a lot of her in the future. I was fortunate to speak with Jena at the reception before the screening and I was amazed by her intelligence and poise. I also spoke with the director, Michael Miner, known for writing the Robocop films. It was obvious that this was a labor of love for him and he did a wonderful job. Mary Stuart Masterson's performance is one of her best. Delroy Lindo also provides capable support and Karl Geary gives a great performance as a Hungarian soldier. His accent was amazing. He must of had a good dialect coach considering he is from Ireland.

Just saw this film on cable this afternoon and it was pretty darn good. I just about shed a tear at the end and that hasn't happened for me since I saw "Brians Song" like 20some years ago. Everyone in the small talented cast deserves kudos...