Date of Release to Theaters: October 8, 1999

Date of Release to Video: Not yet.

Running Time: 82 Minutes

Rated: PG-13 (for sex-related humor and language)

Released by: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Producer: Lorne Michaels

Co-Producer: Erin Fraser, Steven Wayne Koren

Executive Producer: Robert K. Weiss, Susan Cavan

Associate Producer: Albert Botha

Writer: Steven Wayne Koren

(based on a character created by Molly Shannon)

Director: Bruce McCulloch

Cast:

Mary Katherine Gallagher: Molly Shannon

Sky Corrigan/Jesus: Will Ferrell

Evian: Elaine Hendrix

Slater: Harland Williams

Grandma: Glynis Johns

Father Ritley: Mark McKinney

If you haven't seen the skits on "Saturday Night Live" of the Mary Katherine Gallagher character (created and performed by Molly Shannon), it really doesn't matter. You can still easily understand and follow "Superstar." In fact, for those of you who have seen the "SNL" skits, the movie actually answers quite a few questions and helps to clear up why Mary Katherine is the way she is. She finally has a history…albeit a little wacky…but a history nonetheless, which gives some new dimension to her character.

Mary Katherine is a geeky, Catholic high school student who lost her parents in a strange way and is being raised by her grandmother (Glynis Johns). She works at a video rental store rewinding tapes. Hmmm…that's odd...we owned a couple of video rental stores for a number of years and never once did we hire anyone just to rewind tapes. I guess maybe our stores were a little too small or maybe that job exists only in the writer's imagination. I vote for the latter.

Anyway, to get back on track here, Mary Katherine has one enormous goal…to be French kissed by Sky Corrigan (Will Ferrell), the school's football hero. One of the obstacles in her path is that he is already taken by Evian (Elaine Hendrix), a cheerleader who believes she is better than everyone else, especially Mary Katherine. (Any cheerleaders like that in your school?) So Mary Katherine decides that the only way she can get Sky to notice her is if she becomes a superstar. And it just so happens that her school is putting on a talent show. Perfect timing, huh? Evian (and even Mary Katherine's grandmother) try very hard to make sure she doesn't try out.

There are a lot of comical scenes in "Superstar" and some are really off the wall. I've heard of people that practice kissing on the back of their own hand…but French kissing a tree? My fear would be "tongue splinters." Ouch! I would hope that someone sanded that part of the tree down really smooth or Molly Shannon is truly a braver person than you or I.

All comedy aside, and there is a lot of funny stuff in this movie, "Superstar" really comes down to one thing…someone wanting to be loved. And isn't that what we all want? If you would like to see a silly, zany, wacky comedy with an underlying, semi-serious tone, "Superstar" is for you.

Grade: B-

E-Mail Teri Your Thoughts! TeriCrosby@aol.com