This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, March 2005
Starring Don McKellar, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Mark Rendall
Directed by Don McKellar
Don McKellar has been entertaining for years, from the first feature he wrote, Bruce McDonald’s Roadkill, to his directorial debut Last Night. Don McKellar might not be a household name, but his humour and dramatic sensibilities always create great movies. He’s probably best known outside of his native country of Canada for co-writing The Red Violin and Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, which has even been parodied by The Simpsons.
With Childstar, McKellar takes the director’s chair for the second time. An American production heads to Toronto, importing their star, Taylor Brandon Burns (Mark Rendall). Burns is the smart-ass preteen in the Growing Pains-esque television series called Family Differences. Burns is competing with time. When puberty hits, his career will be over.
Rick Schiller (McKellar), a former film professor and aspiring filmmaker, is hired as Burns’ driver. He quickly begins an affair with Burns’ mother, Suzanne Burns (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Paralleling the story, Schiller becomes a mentor to the child star before he runs away and hides from the film industry that was his life.
Going into this film with the knowledge of McKellar’s previous work, I was very surprised by the film. It didn’t have the quirkiness of most of his earlier work. The personal drama and character evolution that happens in all of his films are present in Childstar, but for the first time act as the true core of the film. The relationships between Rick and Taylor, Rick and Suzanne, Rick and the film industry, and Taylor and his father all drive the film to its eventual climax.
Childstar is not Don McKeller’s best film. Last Night had much grander ideas and executed them better, but Childstar shouldn’t leave anyone disappointed. The film’s characters are much more approachable and are easier to connect with.
The ease of which McKellar illustrates his ideas without smashing the audience over the head is quite pleasant. Childstar excels where most Hollywood films fail, it’s entertaining while still making a point. Maybe one day McKellar will take a misstep, but not with this film.