Demi Lovato’s directorial debut follows a few looks at child stardom this year, namely the buzzy docuseries Quiet on set, but also Andrew McCarthy’s Bratz, and even Gary, which took an expansive look at child star Gary Coleman. Lobato has made a lot of friends along the way, and she gets to do a little of what Quiet On set and Brats did, which is sit down with these major players and discuss what went wrong, or what went right. She also blends this with her own story, so it ends up being half a Demi Lovato story.
I can see why she thought this would work, but in some ways, I almost wish she had made two different films. Child Star, and Child Stars. The first could just be about her and her own experiences, with the second diving into all these interviews with big names like Drew Barrymore, Kenyan Thompson, Christina Ricci, and even director Chris Columbus. II would have advised her to take the risk, as someone whose drama has been shared so publicly, that she might have been the person to reach out to people like Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, and Shia LaBeouf about their individual public battles, as well as the Culkin brothers, who had parents fighting over their custody. I see her as an ambassador, in a way where she’s gone through her shit, and come out the other side, and these other former child stars who had their drama might have been willing to use her as a vessel for their truth as well. Who else would be more receptive? i think that’s why Drew Barrymore is here, despite generationally being far removed from Demi. They share something, and it is this survivors bond that Demi brings out.
In the other film, she’s free to tell her story in her own way, without the interviews. So, it isn’t like I don’t like Child Star, but I do think she made two movies, perhaps without even realizing it, smashing them into one.
Final Grade: B
