| Childstar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Don McKellar |
| Written by | Don McKellar Michael Goldbach |
| Produced by | Niv Fichman Daniel Iron Jennifer Jonas |
| Starring | Jennifer Jason Leigh Don McKellar Mark Rendall Michael Murphy |
| Cinematography | André Turpin |
| Edited by | Reginald Harkema |
| Music by | Christopher Dedrick |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | TVA Films America Video Film Hart Sharp Video |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Childstar is a 2004 Canadiancomedy film directed and co-written byDon McKellar, and starring McKellar,Peter Paige,Gil Bellows,Mark Rendall,Michael Murphy, withJennifer Jason Leigh, andAlan Thicke. It premiered at theToronto International Film Festival and received four awards from theVancouver Film Critics Circle, includingBest Canadian Film.
Taylor Brandon Burns, who happens to be America's most famouschild star, is in Canada to shoot a big-budget action film. Wanting to get away from hisstage mom Suzanne and the pressures of show business, he runs off set with a fellow actress, Natalie. The film's producers, concerned with the money they are losing due to a delayed shooting schedule, enlist Rick Schiller, a down-on-his-luckindie filmmaker and Taylor's reluctant limo-driver, to find the boy.
Director and co-writer Don McKellar said he got the idea for the film when he was at anOscars party and found himself talking to actorHaley Joel Osment, who was then hot off the success ofThe Sixth Sense.[1] Said McKellar, "He seemed to perfectly encapsulate American stardom…He was preternaturally mature, extremely young but unnatural."[2] McKellar said the encounter was a "a potent symbol...of my experience of Hollywood. He was an unnaturally precocious kid in a culture where kids act too old and adults act too young."[3][4] McKellar envisioned a lighter take on a child star story and took his idea to Michael Goldbach, then a writer at theCanadian Film Centre.[2]
Filming took place in Toronto from November to December 2003.[5]
Childstar had its world premiere at theToronto International Film Festival in September 2004. It was eventually acquired byThe Sundance Channel, where it had its TV premiere in 2006.[6]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,Childstar has an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews.[7]
Ian Mackenzie ofExclaim! wrote the film "goes to great lengths to humanise and sympathise with its namesake, asking questions about mass media's consumption of child performers rich and famous in a day, then tabloid-fodder for the rest of their lives", adding it "never misses an opportunity for a smart joke or a poignant observation at the expense of someone who thinks they know better."[8]
Writing forCinemaBlend, Rafe Telsch gave the film four out of five stars and praised McKellar for bringing a new perspective to the story of a child star.[9] He also lauded the film's satirical commentary on American films that use Canada for filming locations.[9]
Childstar received four awards from theVancouver Film Critics Circle, includingBest Canadian Film,Best Director,Best Actor for McKellar andBest Supporting Actor for Dave Foley.[10]
It was nominated for fiveGenie Awards, with Jennifer Jason Leigh winning forActress in a Supporting Role.[11]
Theregion 1DVD was released September 13, 2005.[12] The DVD includes anaudio commentary track and a making-of featurette.[9]
As of 2017, the movie has been released online for free onCanada Media Fund's Encore+YouTube Channel.[13]