Review: Childstar

Posted by: Scott Hayes  •  January 28, 2005 @ 11:59am

Filed under: Reviews

Don McKellar is known for writing intelligent movies with interesting and well-drawn, if sometimes quirky, characters. No disappointments here. Childstar is a film that revolves around two characters who are desperately stuck in life situations that prevent them from getting what they want, which just happens to be what each other already has.

Taylor Brandon Burns (played with promise by Mark Rendell) is a 12-year-old actor on a bad TV sitcom. He's famous. He's rich. He's kind of a spoiled brat as you might expect. His agent signs him on to a movie being filmed in Canada. Rick is the director who drives a limo to support his craft.

Two worlds collide in this coming-of-age drama as Rick is assigned to be Taylor's chauffeur. Tagging along is Taylor's mother, stage mom Name. Rick quickly learns that money doesn't buy happiness and the kid sees Rick as someone who can help him escape his sheltered, despondent life.

Childstar takes the viewer through an array of emotions, but mostly I found it sad. It was depressing to watch this talented kid go through his preteen torments coupled with the tortures that accompany celebrity. I think that the film's sweetest moments occurred when Taylor and Rick were able to communicate privately about feelings, artistic methods of expression, and growing up sane. It was, I think, a pretty honest movie.