Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

The documentary film “Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story” by Todd Haynes is quite a dark depiction of the rise and fall of this singing sensation.

The documentary was done entirely without live actors instead Haynes uses modified Barbie dolls to portray the various members of the Carpenter family and other close associates.

Karen’s doll was modified to reflect the effects of anorexia nervosa on the body. As Karen’s anorexia progressed, the doll’s face became slimmer along with her arms. The use of the Barbie dolls was a bit distracting because even though it made a point about society, body image and anorexia, it was still a bunch of dolls bouncing around the screen. I personally found it harder to take seriously than if it had been done with live actors.

The documentary paints the Carpenter family in a negative light. It appears to be sympathetic to Karen’s struggle and everything she went through on her path to recovery from anorexia nervosa. Karen’s mother, Agnes is portrayed as a very controlling woman, not wanting Karen to move out of the house and making career decisions for Karen. Agnes also appears to be in denial of Karen’s issues with her weight until it gets to a point where it actually starts seriously affecting Karen.

Karen’s brother Richard looked scary in the film. The Ken doll used for him was almost “evil looking” and the very portrayal of him as a perfectionist with a temper, was not the most flattering.

Overall I found the documentary sad but I don’t think it really did the memory of Karen Carpenter any justice.