Film

Starhops

Name: Starhops
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1978
Cast: Dorothy Buhrman, Sterling Frazier, Jillian Kesner, Peter Liapis, Anthony Mannino

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1978 screwball comedy about saving a struggling drive-in through hustle, chaos, and unlikely friendships. Cheerful and ramshackle, with the energy of a film made by people genuinely having fun on a low budget. Perfect if you love underdog stories that don't take themselves seriously and period comedy that feels lived-in rather than polished.

If you liked this

Car Wash1976

An ensemble comedy about everyday workers in one location, brimming with character and warmth. Like Starhops, it finds comedy in real people doing real jobs, and it's genuinely funny without ever feeling mean.

But The humor is observational rather than joke-driven, and the pacing wanders. If you need a tight three-act structure, this will feel loose.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore1974

A waitress comedy-drama with similar scrappy energy and a great ensemble. Scorsese directing women being funny and capable, working real jobs in real diners. Sharp and touching in equal measure.

But It's more serious than comedic overall, and much longer. The comedy is secondary to character and drama.

Five Easy Pieces1970

A rambling ensemble film about drifters and working people, funny without being a traditional comedy. The diner scene alone is legendary. Captures a similar sense of people just trying to get by.

But It's slow and contemplative, not slapstick. The comedy is dry and the mood is melancholic. Starhops is much lighter.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Starhops

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

MAS*H1970

Both find comedy in people working together under pressure, using humor as a tool for survival and belonging. The kitchen/restaurant is as central as the military unit.

Altman's masterpiece: a comedy set in a high-pressure workplace where the ensemble keeps morale alive through humor and improvisation. Like Starhops, it understands that comedy is how people survive together. Endlessly rewatchable.

But It's a war film, and the setup is grim. Some will find the comedy in that context inappropriate. It's also deliberately shapeless—structure takes a backseat to character.

Eating Raoul1982

A delirious indie comedy about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, made the same year with similar DIY spirit. Darkly funny, inventive, and totally committed to its bizarre premise.

But The humor is genuinely weird and satirical. If you want likeable characters, this might alienate you—they're murderers, after all.

The Main Event1979

A screwball comedy about unlikely partnerships and small business hustle, very much of its era. Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal bickering through 88 minutes of pure charm and chaos.

But The plot is tissue-thin and the romantic subplot will feel dated. It's really just an excuse for banter, which is the point—but that's not everyone's comedy.

Between the Lines1977

An ensemble indie comedy about a community held together by work and friendship. Low budget, genuine warmth, that same late-70s freedom and improvisation that makes Starhops work.

But Very much a product of its moment. If you don't vibe with that loose, unstructured 70s indie comedy aesthetic, nothing here will grab you.

The Groove Tube1974

A sprawling sketch-comedy film with Chevy Chase, wildly uneven but overflowing with inventive humor. The same fearless low-budget DIY spirit, just swinging for the fences every scene.

But It's a sketch show, not a narrative film, so it has no plot. Some bits land, many don't. It's aggressively of-the-moment and some jokes have aged poorly.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

A rock opera comedy about theater people and ambition, weird and funny and entirely its own thing. Brian De Palma's most playful film, with genuine heart buried under the madness.

But It's genuinely strange, tonally all over the map. If you want something conventional and straightforward, this is the opposite.

Greased Lightning1977

A true-story comedy about a drag racer and his crew, pure 70s charm and camaraderie. Richard Pryor carries it effortlessly, and the ensemble feeling is similar to Starhops' vibe.

But The story meanders and the production values are thin. It feels more like a TV movie than a feature, and some pacing issues are real.

Heartsounds1984

Both center women in service jobs, trying to make something good happen against the odds. Same generosity toward their characters' ambitions and ingenuity.

A TV movie about a woman working two jobs raising kids while her marriage crumbles. Not a comedy, but it has the same documentary-like warmth about working-class women making things work. Heartbreaking but never patronizing.

But It's a tearjerker melodrama, the opposite of Starhops' tone. You're watching struggle, not comedy. If you want to laugh, turn back.

Rubber2010

Both are low-budget comedies made by people more interested in execution and charm than following the rules. Both trust that weird sincerity and commitment will work.

A wildly experimental French absurdist comedy about a sentient tire on a road trip. Nothing like Starhops in plot, but same gleeful low-budget DIY spirit and refusal to explain itself. Pure cinema creativity on no money.

But It's genuinely bizarre and gets weirder every minute. If you need plot coherence or conventional logic, you will hate it. The tire kills things and that's all the motivation you get.