Two and a half limos

Reviewed by Hal Gray

Don McKellar is the closest thing we have to a one-man band in the Canadian film industry and god love him for it. And he also seems to escape the backbiting that will go on in small, incestuous families like we have here north of the 49. I think it's his self-deprecating style and sly look that holds him above the fray. Arguably, he reached the highest heights with his writing (and acting) contribution in The Red Violin. (I seemed to like it a hell of a lot better than most reviewers, for instance.) So, it is interesting to see where the chips will fall with Childstar when he has all the reins in his hands.

The first reel of Childstar is creative, inventive, fast-paced and engenders a spirit of fun that is in part mordantly Canadian, yes, but more importantly, universally humourous. As well, the scene is set economically, the large cast is introduced deftly, and we're set up for something special. And then it doesn't happen. If there was a direction, it wavers. The sharpness of the story line blurs. Even the introduction of some effective dark moments lose their meaning as the story wanders and by the end gets downright sloppy.

The story: A spoiled-by-the-system 12-year old American child star comes to T.O. to shoot a low budget film called The First Son. The son of the President of the United States has to save old dad from the terrorists. It becomes clear the child star is not a happy camper. He's tired of the celebrity and he's tired—and even afraid—of the work. So he acts out. No one, not even his mother, wants to deal with him and in a quasi-believable stunt she foists the care and attention of the boy onto her limo driver. The limo driver, unimpressed with star power, makes a connection with the kid. But, being a dolt of a man (is there any other kind? Well, no, actually), he jumps into bed with mom. The kid runs away in the middle of production to lose his virginity. All the principals go ape shit, from the big American agent to the producer to mom. They blame the limo driver and he better find the kid or else.

I think the dialogue—notice I didn't say ‘script'—is brilliant throughout. Throw out the adjectives: witty, pithy, sardonic, shocking, yearning, hilarious, and they all stick. The problems lie elsewhere. The core of the film (or the ‘inciting action' for those who teach this stuff) should be what is essentially a chase. Can they find the kid before god knows what happens to him? Everything else you're trying to deliver—self-revelation, as one example—hangs on that. But there is a decided lack of tension and energy that appears oddly just when the kid takes a flyer. The kid's never in any trouble and thus we don't share in the angst. It doesn't help that during this section, about 3 minutes of precious screen time is spent on a tertiary character getting beat up. He does have a great line as he pours down a drink: ‘I'm a junkie, not an alcoholic", but these scenes could be cut and no one would be the wiser. Then, as mentioned, the narrative becomes silly and undercuts the delightful first act.

McKellar is reported to have said about playing the limo driver: "I felt it was so personal in a way that it would be weird if I didn't cast myself, that it would be almost dishonest or something. [It] wasn't like I was playing Richard the Third." I think a little dishonesty and expecting more from the part would have gone a long way. So would have casting someone else with more of an edge. When the driver does stand up for himself on occasion, McKellar doesn't deliver the required commitment.

Mark Rendall is wonderfully cast as the child star. He uses the most of a role that allows him to grow in the part. Jennifer Jason Leigh looks like she had maybe a couple of hours with the script. Her character is thinly thought out and portrayed in a nonchalant manner as if she couldn't throw away the lines fast enough. Kristin Adams as the amoral model/actress who is paid to deflower the kid on the set of the Oval Office, is strong until the script has her really falling for him. Strangely, she gets younger every scene until at the end she's the one who looks twelve. Notable are Dave Foley as the Producer and Eric Stoltz as the estranged dad. In fact, it would have been nice to see more of them. Michael Murphy, The President, fits right in with the delightfully cheesy SPFX of Air Force One. Alan Thicke is, well, thick.

Childstar does set the bar for movies about American/Canadian relations in the biz. Of course, it's something only we have a palate for and I doubt is an effective way to get Americans watching our films.