‘A Disturbance in the Force’ Review: An Amusing Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Notorious ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’

variety.com:

Joe Leydon Film Critic There are times when you look back at pop culture phenomena and can’t resist the urge to ask: Can you believe this actually happened?

Tackling a notorious fiasco in one of the galaxy’s most popular franchises, Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s amusing and exhaustive documentary ”A Disturbance in the Force” unpacks 1978’s “Star Wars Holiday Special.” You don’t have to be an obsessive “Star Wars” fan to enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how the special — which premiered Nov.

17, 1978 on CBS, and has never been re-run on any broadcast or cable outlet — came to exist. To be sure, the fans will appreciate it a lot more than casual viewers.

But it’s also an irresistible hoot for anyone with fond memories of star-studded 1970s musical/variety TV specials — a specific type of highly popular general audience entertainment that, truth to tell, very often showcased more campy excess than anything in the “Star Wars Holiday Special.”   For those too young (or too discerning) to recall such fare, Coon and Kozak do a first-rate job of placing the “Star Wars” special in context, with a generous array of clips representing everything from a “Donny and Marie” segment (featuring the Osmond duo as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, Kris Kristofferson as Han Solo, and dancing Stormtroopers singing a variation of the Top 40 single “Get Ready”) to a “Bob Hope All Star Christmas Holiday Special” sketch in which Hope played Darth Vader opposite the real Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill.