Why so much hype?

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I can't understand how this movie scored 7/10. It's just awful, just awful. Bad script Bad direction. Basically a bore fest. The acting sux - a second grader could have done better, the worst by far is Negri. Robert Vaughn as a stroke victim is the exception. How could you not like him!Z3

In Negri's quiet film debut, you feel as if you're entering her character's living room and watching the actions play out in a very intimate way, as if you're part of the family . Negri and Robert Vaughn give strong, understated performances that feel truthful and pull you in close. The film has so many beautiful and tender moments that feel very personal, even autobiographical. I think it's an amazing debut achievement with a distinct voice and I look forward to future titles by this director.

If you are ever having a bad time in your life, watch this miserable movie. It will make your life seem like a great day at Disney World. The movie starts off slow and depressing and then goes down from there. I challenge any guy to keep his eyes open for the whole hour and thirty minutes that this misery is on screen. I noticed that 3 people rated this anchor a 10! What? Is there another movie named Gold Star or something? Because this complete waste of time is a 3 at best. The acting is good so maybe it would be something for a student to watch or something. Other than than, avoid this waste of film and watch Anything else.

Victoria Negri's "Gold Star" is a beautifully shot, well-acted, and moving debut feature inspired by events in her own life. A twenty-something music school dropout, Vicki (exceptionally played by Negri herself) is aimless in her life until her father (played by Robert Vaughan, incredible in his final screen role) suffers a stroke and she becomes one of his reluctant caregivers. Drawing closer to her father, her mother (brilliantly played by Catherine Curtin), and ultimately herself, Vicki finally confronts the crossroads in her life, with a little help from a budding relationship with Chris (Jacob Heimer), who's struggling with his own personal demons. Full of authentic details and performances, "Gold Star" also employs poetic, lyrical visuals to frame Vicki's isolation at her dead-end job as well as her running in front of an omnipresent island off the Connecticut coast where the film was shot. Negri has mentioned "Five Easy Pieces" as an influence, and the comparison is apt. Both films have protagonists struggling with personal, existential crises while trying to connect with fathers who have suffered strokes. Vicki is ultimately more successful than Jack Nicholson's character as evident in the transcendent final scene of the film where Vaughan and Negri share an intimate moment, staring out across the ocean together. You get a real sense of Vicki finally becoming her true self, ironically through a deeper connection with her father.