Exploring contemporary Hollywood stardom, Paul McDonald's latest publication presents a strong case for the treatment of Hollywood stars as brands. Challenging existing models of star studies, McDonald argues that industrial and economic factors must also be considered in analyses of stardom. Whilst he acknowledges the importance of symbolic studies of star image, McDonald proposes the integration of such textual work with an understanding of the economic environment in Hollywood. Taking Hollywood stars from the 1990–2009 period as his case studies, McDonald asserts that stardom is a “component of Hollywood's commercial aesthetic” and develops his argument through an analysis of the “symbolic commerce of stardom” (6). In line with broader trends across film studies, McDonald convincingly makes a case for the importance of commercial and industrial factors, warning that too much focus on the textual and discursive functions of stars obscures their concomitant status as economic products and commodities. The volume successfully builds on and updates classic studies of star image by Richard Dyer and others, and offers a fascinating counterpoint to this work.

The book presents both a methodology for McDonald's form of analysis, and case studies which put his approach into practice. Split into three sections (“Star Business,” “Star System” and “Star Performance”), chapters on areas such as Hollywood industrial structures, financial remuneration and awards systems are interspersed with lively case study chapters on Tom Hanks, Will Smith and Julia Roberts. The first section of the book puts forward McDonald's case for stardom as brand, and clearly delineates what is meant by “star.” Using industry and trade press rankings, he identifies an “A-plus” list of stars with high levels of bankability who are distinct from other levels of celebrity within Hollywood (21). These A-plus stars form the focus of the study, although other forms of fame such as prestige stardom are also examined. The second section details the industrial structures of Hollywood and McDonald argues that alongside the major studios' conglomerate media empires, agents, PR companies and managers all play a crucial role in producing stardom. The role of pay and remuneration is also considered, and McDonald interrogates the belief that inclusion of a star will increase movie profits, concluding that stars are both “assets and burdens” for studios (123). The final section examines the performative aspects of star construction. In a creative analysis McDonald explores the way in which factors within films such as spectacular action sequences and camera positioning contribute to star discourse, and considers the role of the Academy Awards in generating prestige and income.

The case study chapters clearly put McDonald's approach into practice and demonstrate that, throughout their careers, Hanks, Smith and Roberts developed coherent star brands. For example, consistent within Hanks's films is an “everyman” persona (69), and although his brand has shifted over the course of his career (from “comedic-safe everyman” to “heroic-safe everyman”), it remains linked to this persona, demonstrating the “continuity within difference” that McDonald sees as crucial to successful star brands (76). Similarly, McDonald identifies “feisty sweetness” (256) as Roberts's main star brand, but argues that her career has taken a dual trajectory with romantic comedy as the central touchstone, complemented by forays into serious drama. For McDonald's model, established star brands can survive intact through short periods where they do not appear in successful movies or where they take on alternative roles, so long as they return to the brand in a hit movie on a regular basis.

In addition to the study's focus on the 1990–2009 period, McDonald also attempts to give historical context through comparisons with Hollywood stardom in the period of vertically integrated studios. These brief historical comparisons prove useful demonstrations of the continuities across this time span; McDonald suggests that despite wide variations in economic and industrial environments, in many ways stars have been produced as brands ever since actors' names were first added to movie credits in the early twentieth century. This is in line with his contention that his study is a synchronic one and can be applied to different periods (7). However, the central 1990–2009 analysis is very firmly tied to its specific industrial and cultural contexts, and without room to elaborate further on different historical periods it was unclear how the model would be transferable. In all, Hollywood Stardom is persuasive, well evidenced and clearly written. Offering a fresh perspective on stardom, it is a valuable intervention in emerging debates about the place of industrial and economic studies within film studies. There is much to entertain both researchers and students, and it would make an interesting addition to star-studies and contemporary Hollywood course syllabi.