Childstar

2004 "You're only famous for fifteen minutes. Make every second count."
6| 1h39m| R| en
Details

An experimental filmmaker takes a job as a driver for a foul-mouthed child actor and his ambitious stage mother.

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Reviews

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess
Manthast Absolutely amazing
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
pwalkerfm I just watched this for the first time on my cable companies free On-Demand. I would say, interesting...complicated...disjointed...but demanding a 2nd view. Jennifer Jason Leigh is somewhat under-stated in this, and the boy is believable at times, totally not at other times. Questions come up at the end of almost every scene, so that's why I probably will view this again. But, can't help feeling I'm watching a "E-True Hollywood Story" about "Family Ties" or "Growing Pains" (what with Alan Thicke in this) at times it feels like an entertainment documentary, with some added drama that I won't "spoil". The fact that this was filmed in Canada is kind of parody of itself in that they make fun of that fact, but yet are also filming in Canada. Ironic.
Jim Stevens I loved McKeller's other film "Last Night". Unfortunately, this lame effort is uninspired. We've seen it all before and better. The film doesn't know what it wants to be - is it a comedy, a morality play about fame and the young, is it about parents living through their children, is it about manipulation? The result is a film that doesn't know what it wants to be and in turn, cannot find an audience. Like so many Canadian films, it's just not audience friendly and there is nothing in this film to get anyone but McKeller fans out to watch it. The film just unraveled (badly) and never went anywhere and then needed a long speech at the end to explain a plot we all stop caring about a long way back. The cinematography was excellent but it was wasted in this effort. McKeller can do better and has. Hopefully he can put this failure behind him.
federovsky I just couldn't get into this. Don McKellar, who I've never heard of before, just looked like he was doing an impersonation of Peter Sellers. His deadpan approach was a leaden hand over the whole film. Every line he delivered fell flat on the ground, as in a vacuum. There was something eerily compelling about him though, I couldn't take my eyes off him - or maybe it was just that cardigan he wore under his jacket the whole time.The storyline might have not invited criticism were it not for the fact that we were subjected to two excruciating moral lessons at the end (on parentalism and on the childstar issue). Mmm, thanks, I so need to be preached at - NOT.Unfortunately, Taylor Brandon Burns wasdislikable even when he wasn't supposed to be, and his blonde girlfriend character was just a cardboard cut-out. How were we supposed to care? Well, we were all probably there looking for laughs, not philosophy. Problem is the laughs just weren't there. It was all vaguely depressing.
parsons_40 I saw this movie Sunday morning (and i am not a morning person) at the Toronto film festival, and I must say, it was not what I expected. First of all, it was funnier than the premise would lead you to believe. Secondly, it was actually artfully done. And thirdly, it was very different from the average slow Canadian film. Did I like the film? Yes, very much. It was more of Don McKellar's strange brand of humor, like the kind he used on Twitch City (his TV show) but faster, and maybe a little more biting. In fact, the movie was so fast and multi-layered that I'd like to see it again, soon. Overall I think this was a really entertaining film, and I would highly recommend it -- especially to those who want proof that Canadian movies can be funny, and fast, and exciting, and still smart.