Starman is a movie not too many folks talk about or even know about. It was my dad’s favorite, in fact in his younger years my dad even looked like Jeff Bridges did in this film—red flannel shirts, playful careless hair, and as always, Carharts.

Jeff Bridges was nominated for best actor after this film came out in 1984, and Karen Allen also does a great job as co-lead. I’ve loved her since that opening drinking scene from Raiders of the Lost Arc, from 1981. Starman is a great little flick, art directed well and carried with care considering the limited cast & storyline. I love how the spaceship at the end is a perfect mirror & sphere with its own orbital rings, like a mini-Jupiter.

The real show stopper, however, are the gratuitous ’77 Ford Mustang Cobra II scenes (top). It’s basically a third lead in the film, which sadly doesn’t make it in the end. It goes out in a ball of smoke, a fitting end for such a gorgeous machine. Karen Allen drives this thing around in her puffy lavender jacket and tan cowboy boots. Icon.

Catch a piece of the kitch/80’s/epic feeling with the theme song, totally played on a synthesizer with fake drums at the 3:04 climax: