Therapist Reacts to STARDUST

What makes love lasting? How do you know if it's actually love?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright look at the different relationships in Stardust to contrast infatuation and love. Tristan's relationship with Victoria is all about one-sided infatuation, him trying to prove himself worthy of her affection while she looks down on him (simp culture!). But Tristan's relationship with Yvaine is all about both of them growing as individuals, getting to know and care for each other, and reciprocal love and affection. We also get the single most important hair transformation for Charlie Cox, and possibly Robert De Niro's greatest performance. This movie is sheer delight!

Support us!

Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, and Alan Seawright
Edited by: Sophie Téllez
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis

Connect with us!

[Roseforthethorns]

I think I always saw Yvainne’s exuberance that looks like “overacting” as part of her being a star. She’s not of this world, and everything is so new. And stars, the film points out, are incredibly in tune with emotion.

[AlexGardipe]

"Whats she doing to prove her feelings to you?" legit rocked my world to even consider. Love this movie so much

[benjaminh.morgan]

Everything that Princess Bride was satirically, Stardust was earnestly, and so much more. One movie I can absolutely never get tired of.

[MushroomsHaveFeeling]

My favorite thing about this movie is how Tristian goes on a pretty archetypical hero's journey, but he never once kills anyone! All the other main characters do, but Tristan doesn't. And that's really awesome!

[graymalkin]

I love that little kiss he gives her on the forehead before the speech and everything. It's comforting and real. He's not letting her suffer until he gives his big confession but affirms that he feels the same way she does. It's a wordless "Don't be embarrased" and I find it more tender and intimate than the actual kiss afterwards.

[Whatlander]

I do like the little broment where Humphrey _immediately_ recognizes that Tristan's not playing around after his rite of passage, and nopes out of that duel asap.

[speak-r.i.s.e.]

“Ever try to get blood stains out of a silk shirt? Nightmare!” will always be one of my favorite lines in this movie.

[trinaq]

I adore this movie, it has so many insightful morals. Tristan and Yvaine see each other as mutual equals, and both go on the quest together. However, Victoria doesn't seem to hold Tristan to the same merits as he does to her, and strings him along while engaged to another man, something pointed out by Yvaine.

[chrisd]

Victoria was a much more sympathetic character in the book. As far as I recall, she was perfectly nice, and a little swept away with Tristan's gestures and so she promised him his hearts desire if he brought the star back. At the end he was totally over her and told her his hearts desire was that she marry the man she loved, which was instrumental in breaking the curse on Tristan's mother (a week with two Mondays, Victoria married Mister Monday and became Mrs Monday).

[circa]

"This movie deserves the same recognition as Princess Bride" YEESS!! Finally! Two people who understand me! I've been saying that since its release! It's so underrated!! Thank you so much for reviewing this!

[ravensfaire]

Honestly I love her 'overacting'. I feel like it makes so much sense for the character and I absolutely loved it. It's like a visible part of her personality, her unabashed earnestness and honesty that sets her out. It reminds you that though she's seen so much, she's new to this world.

[fafnir]

I love the character consistency. Tristan says he could never kill anyone, and he technically never does. He defeats the witches without actually fighting them head-on.

[saradelamare]

“Everyone our age can quote Princess Bride at each other”. I do this all the time! I really love Stardust too! It’s a healthy relationship film to watch with your children.

[yb]

I fell in love with Robert De Niro’s character here (and Robert himself), that’s when I realized my type : men that seem scary but are surprisingly secure and soft on the inside.

I love to be reminded that you can never really know someone and anybody can surprise you, at any time.

[stacia]

Stardust is literally my favorite film. I can watch it over and over and over again with the same amount of enthusiasm each time.

[Hearthburn]

I've been married for fifteen years, and I will say that I firmly believe the key to a successful marriage is this: you *both* feel like you've married up. I feel like he's better than I deserve (and he has told me he feels the same way), so I try to be my best self for him.

[Oddball_E]

The thing about "giving it all the face" here is that it works because she's supposed to portray someone childlike when it comes to human emotions.

And as someone who works with kids, this really does look like those kids do when they're experiencing emotions.

[JessamynRising]

I know this episode was about Yvaine and Tristan's relationship, but there's a lot to be said about Captain Shakespeare's relationship with himself and his crewmates, especially the ineffable line, "You're still our cap'n, " followed up immediately by an to break the awkward moment and affirm that things hadn't changed. It's such a funny and wholesome scene, and I love it so much. This movie was made in the late 2000-oughts, when Hollywood was *just* starting to normalize the expectation that true friends accept LGBTQ friends as they are. You've done a number of takes on People Who Don't Fit In, including in this very episode, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this character, who was entirely added in the movie version. (Personally, I'm glad they did; this is one of reason it's a rare movie adaptations that I love even better than the book!) We meet Robert De Niro's character Captain Shakespeare as a sort of misfit in his world for a number of reasons. Not only is he a very macho character who also enjoys dressing in drag (the audience is probably supposed to assume he's gay, but that's never established) but he's also an intellectual who indulges a secret interest for things that literally belong to another world (i.e. the world across the Wall, where the real Shakespeare was from.) The joke of course is that no one of his own world would get the reference to the Bard in his pirate personna because one around him is as intellectually inclined. As a result, he's delighted to meet people he can talk to about these things that he usually has to enjoy in isolation. It bespeaks a lot of loneliness, and yet he seems remarkably good-natured, generous, self-confident, and generally well-adjusted, and has obviously cultivated a great relationship with his crewmates. I would love to hear your take on this character and the interpersonal dynamics aboard the lightning ship.

[heynhamnham]

I remember when I first saw this movie on Netflix catalogue I was like "hum.... sounds good" but it took me months to watch it and when I finally did... it was amazing!!!! The cast is otherworldly, the humor is an absolute mess, I loved every single minute of it. It's not just a fantasy movie, it's a movie about knowing who you are and who you want to be. Unfortunately so underrated, my friends told me ah this is just one of those family evening movies.... yo... this is a hidden gem

[isbammoi]

"Is it okay to lie to your partner if you're a mouse?" has the same energy as
"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" and I just died laughing.

Also, adore this movie, cannot endorse it enough. It taught me a lot, even being as fantastical as it is, it really hits the heart <3