Canada, 2004
Score: ***1/2
Director: Don McKellar

At the start of CHILDSTAR, when the studio executives were pitched with the idea of a new action flick involving hijackers, the immediate question posed was: Are the hijackers funny? And the reply to that remark?  “The hijackers are not funny; they are scary people. But they have quirks.” That is perhaps the best way to describe actor/director Don McKellar’s second feature CHILDSTAR—about a boy disappearing from a movie set, setting everyone from his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh), chauffeur (Don McKellar) and all the studio executives into a panic. It is a movie filled with oddities.

McKellar’s target is the studio executive system. The studio bosses abuse their rights, destroy people’s lives and make too much money. They are the dangerous ones in McKellar’s movie. But they are not quirky. McKellar is too smart not to make them likeable. In order to tell his story, McKellar centres his film on two protagonists – 13-year old childstar Taylor Brandon Burns (Mark Rendall) and his chauffeur, Rick Schiller (McKellar himself).  Taylor lands the lead role as the president’s son in the new hyped blockbuster film of the year, THE FIRST SON.  In Toronto, where THE FIRST SON is shot, Taylor goes AWOL, pushed on by former childstar troublemaker, Chip (Brendan Fehr, last seen as the male hustler extraordinaire in SUGAR). By the time all mysteries are solved, most of the characters have learnt a lesson or two in life.

CHILDSTAR is entertaining and fast-moving. The storyboarding of THE FIRST SON at the film’s start and its dialogue read out loud during the credits attest the fact that there is much to be read between the lines. Lively performances are provided by a solid cast (mostly Canadian) that includes Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall), Kristen Adams, Michael Murphy and indie championeer Eric Stoltz (as Taylor’s rock-and-roll dad). A few funny bits include a take on the differences between the U.S. and Canadian education and work systems. Jason Leigh as Taylor’s mother screams at one point: “Pay more than the Education Board for my son’s tutoring!” McKellar does his civic duty by doing Toronto proud by publicizing local sites like Black Creek Pioneer Village as well as parodying film festivals as the way he, as the chauffeur eventually comes up with a short film which he introduces.

During last year’s Toronto International Film Festival press conference, I happened to stand behind Don McKellar. As the line-up of films were announced, I watched McKellar pick up some finger foods from a plate on the table and disgustingly put it back after obviously not liking its look. This is one odd guy, I thought at the time. CHILDSTAR falls into the same pattern. McKellar picks a topic, shakes it up a bit and puts back what he has touched. Though he provides no ingenuous insight to the subject, the entertainment value is there with all the traits of the typical Canadian movie – strangeness, eccentricity and unpredictability. But this does not mean that the film is half bad. CHILDSTAR deservedly won 4 awards from the Vancouver Critics circle including one for the Best Canadian feature. It also puts McKellar up there on the list of consistent directors to watch after his also very interesting first feature LAST NIGHT.

Review by Gilbert Seah.