Baz Luhrmann Loves This '80s Murder-Mystery Set At The Playboy Mansion | Sorry Not Sorry
Between all the blockbuster hits and infamous flops is a subset of movies that just disappear. They exist in a strange in-between space because they were either too dark or just slightly out of step with what audiences expected at the time. But every now and then, someone like director Baz Luhrmann brings up one of these films in conversation, which puts it back on the radar.
WATCH: Baz Luhrmann LOVES This '80s Murder-Mystery Set At The Playboy Mansion!
Speaking to JustWatch while promoting his 2026 documentary film, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, Luhrmann chose an in-between film as his guilty pleasure re-watch. "There's one actually called Star 80 by Bob Fosse," he said. "It's actually a really dark film. In a way, it reminds me of [Quentin Tarantino's] work. It's very '70s."
"I don't know, I think it's kind of masterful even though it's not really on anyone's radar," Luhrmann continued before heaping praise on the director of Star 80. "He's an amazing being, Bob Fosse. It's kind of a dark murder film set in the Playboy Mansion. There's an amazing roller-skate sequence in it," the filmmaker added.
Released in 1983, the biographical drama, Star 80, tells the story of Dorothy Stratten (Mariel Hemingway), a young model whose rise to fame as a Playboy Playmate happens almost overnight. What starts out feeling like a familiar story about living out your Hollywood dreams gradually shifts into something sinister. You can kind of feel it early on, even before anything actually happens.
The Real-Life Story Behind 'Star 80'
Star 80 doesn't hold anything back when recounting the life and death of Stratten, the Canadian model who became one of Playboy's most prominent figures in the late 1970s. She was still a high school student with a regular part-time job when she met Paul Snider, a club promoter who became her romantic partner and the person managing her career.
Snider pushed her toward modeling, arranged photoshoots, and ultimately helped her get noticed by Playboy (though even that process came with some major red flags). From there, things moved very quickly. Stratten relocated to Los Angeles, became a Playmate, and in a very short time was named Playmate of the Year.
That success led to acting roles and various television appearances. There was a real sense that Stratten was on the edge of something that could have taken her beyond modeling entirely. People around her saw it, too, including Hugh Hefner, who believed she could transition into film. But as her career started to take off, her relationship with Snider started breaking down.
The more independent she became, the more unstable things got. There were arguments, control issues, and a sense that Stratten wanted to move forward without Snider. By 1980, she officially began separating from him. But in August 1980, during what was meant to be their last divorce settlement meeting, the couple was found dead in their former home after Snider committed murder-suicide.
Why To Watch 'Star 80' (And What To Watch After)
Star 80 isn't really a film you casually recommend to everyone. But if you're even a little interested in character-driven, real-life stories, it's worth watching. Mariel Hemingway does an excellent job as Stratten opposite Eric Roberts as Paul Snider. The dynamic between them is really the core of the film, which is subtly uncomfortable in places and very tense in others.
There's no big turning point scene where things suddenly fall apart. It's more like watching a slow-motion breakdown of a relationship. Stylistically, Star 80 is rather rough around the edges. Some scenes go on longer than you expect, and some conversations feel unfinished. But it's a tiny flaw that is easy to overlook once you really get into the story.
If you're looking for something similar, 1981's Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Stratten and has a more traditional, dramatized approach to the same events. The movie, which is streaming on MGM+, takes a more structured approach to the story, but it's also a lot less ambiguous in how it presents the story.
If you're curious about Stratten's final role, They All Laughed is worth checking out. Released in 1981, the story follows private detectives John Russo (Ben Gazzara) and Charles Rutledge (John Ritter), who are meant to be tracking suspected cheating spouses, Angela Niotes (Audrey Hepburn) and Dolores Martin (Stratten). But things don't exactly stay professional for long.
What starts out as routine surveillance slowly turns into something else entirely when feelings get involved. Before long, the people doing the watching become a little too emotionally invested in what they're supposed to be observing. It's light and a bit messy in that very specific way rom-coms from that era tend to be. If you're a fan of the classics, They All Laughed is a must.
