ematerso The writer is maybe better as an actress. The story told was overlong and disjointed. Why did the seemingly very acceptable, lover/boyfriend become an assailant and why did his girl friend submit? Why was her new male interest so very apathetic while at the same time being totally available? The difficulty of having a blended family and also caring for a critically ill person was very well expressed. while at the same time the heroine, seemed unnecessarily testy with the patient, her father. And this is maybe a silly complaint but the people who were supposed to be related by blood bore no physical relationship to each other. That was disconcerting. Still kudos to a writer/director/actress for putting it out there. My family also has a budding film maker so I realize what a rocky path it is.

The_Boxing_Cat 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

leenyc99-1 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.

Michael Goldburg 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.