Metacritic Movie Ratings
Starlet Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 91

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum

  Sean Baker's singular little ultra-indie is a strikingly unsentimental study in female friendship between unmoored souls in L.A.'s bleached, glamour-challenged San Fernando Valley.

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• 90

  out of 100

  The New York TimesManohla Dargis

  The bright sun that blasts through Starlet, a thrillingly, unexpectedly good American movie about love and a moral awakening, bathes everything in a radiant light, even the small houses with thirsty lawns and dusty cars.

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• 90

  out of 100

  The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore

  A mismatched-friends drama whose overall sensitivity is belied by a couple of clumsily contrived plot points, Sean Baker's Starlet pairs story and setting perfectly.

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• 80

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesRobert Abele

  It's a character study about faith in connectedness, with an unforced love for cross-generational companionship that's special indeed.

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• 75

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert

  The film itself deserves praise for its portraits of these two women and the different worlds they inhabit.

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• 75

  out of 100

  Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips

  It's an odd film in some ways. The porn milieu is detailed in ways at once sparing, in terms of actual screen time, and bluntly explicit. The odd-couple relationship guiding the story has its familiarities. But where it counts, 'Starlet' ... allows its characters room to maneuver within the potential cliches.

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• 70

  out of 100

  VarietyPeter Debruge

  Though named after a party girl's pet Chihuahua, Starlet could just as easily describe the two exceptional first-timers making their debuts in this brittle, beautifully understated San Fernando Valley character study.

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• 70

  out of 100

  Village VoiceMelissa Anderson

  Director Sean Baker, co-writing his fourth feature with Chris Bergoch, does some deft balancing of his own: His genuine admiration for these two women extends to their idiosyncrasies, yet they never become fools, whores, saints, or coots.

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See all Starlet movie reviews at Metacritic.com