The Karen Carpenter Story

This 1983 authorized account of the rise to fame and tragic death of The Carpenters duo lead singer, Karen Carpenter, succeeds in portraying the slow descend into the illness of anorexia nervosa by its titled character. For that it gets my respects. On the other hand by being produced by Richard Carpenter we know we are only getting a 'sanitized version' of what drove his younger sister into starving to death. So for the most part the film is about two young siblings with lots of talent achieving too much fame too soon too fast. The family demons are only hinted at, but not explored. The real songs are in full display so is like a greatest hits video promotion for their albums. Cynthia Gibbs did a great performance as Karen Carpenter and I remember that it also brought criticism because she lost a lot of weight to portray Karen in her anorexic stages. Watchable film which at times drags in its pace. 6/10