Child Star

"Child Star" is a documentary featuring Demi Lovato. It ostensibly is about the damage that occurs to child stars...on TV, in movies and on the internet. However, at times it seems more about Lovato in particular and a few of her friends and not the broader topic of child exploitation.

If you are looking for an exposee which shows the damage done to child actors by their parents and movie/TV studios, you can do MUCH better than this one. While the documentary talks about SOME of the issues concerning the exploitation of kids in the media, it also seems like it's very careful to excuse the studios and parents. Well, if they aren't to blame for the exploitation....why is?? And, it doesn't surprise me that the film is distributed by Disney...a corporation with a VERY bad history of child stars who run off the rails.

The film also seems to be leaving out a LOT in regard to Lovato. While it talks about her recent projects and SOME of her difficulties, it all feels very sanitized and leaves out some very important questions...such as about her parents' involvement in creating some of these problems. The father is never mentioned and her mother is pretty much given a pass. Overall, a mildly interesting film but one that manages to miss the mark.

This is one show that canvasses the importance of mental health and its effects on child stars from the 1980s to today's rising YouTube sensations. Lovato's compassionate conveyance of such sensitive information is profound and features several A-list stars who faced the same struggles she, very publicly, has faced while working in the entertainment industry. This documentary is relevant for a wide range of demographics, from legal experts and healthcare workers to alcoholics and kids from the 80s, 90s, and today. This film encompasses how, for some celebrities, achieving fame is a miraculous dream and a hellacious nightmare for others.

Coming into it you expect to hear inside stories and raw emotions from former child stars. Unfortunately you get one child stars story and slightly cooked emotions with the same old stories that we have heard before form Demi. I feel like I barely know the other child stars featured in this documentary, which for something that claimed to show what child stardom is really like and how it affects people later on in life, it doesn't really feel like I got any of that. Christina Ricci, Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, Raven Symone are all amazing actors and whom I wish I got more in depth interviews from. We know Demi's story. Let's hear from some other people. I also didn't learn much of past child stars like Judy Garland or Shirley Temple. The documentary tried to cover over 100 years of child stardom by including current child star JoJo Siwa and the current fascination of YouTube Kids. I didn't really get the meaning or theme behind this documentary. Needed more refinement and a better vision statement.

I put this on in the background while I was doing some work...I soon realized I'd stopped working and was just watching. I've not followed Demi Levoto's career, and only know what I know about her through the media. Hearing her story told like that was eye-opening and gave me a new respect for her and what she's been through.

I would have liked to hear more from the other child stars, however I did feel that what they contributed was valuable in painting a fairly clear picture of the impacts of the industry. It also would have been nice to dig a little deeper into child stars of the past as well, however I did appreciate that it included insight people from multiple roles in and around the industry.

Definitely worth a watch!

Really liked this. Ive seen demi's other documentaries and i'm usually impressed, but this was definitely the best one. Seeing the same issues, across different generations, they really do only get better in the eyes of law, and worse with the social media and instant access everyone has these days. It was really cool seeing all these faces i recognized from growing up, and how it's impacted their lives. I think overall, i might feel the worst for jojo siwa. Jojo is the first child star, to truly grow up with social media in it's full effect. We saw miley and bieber live with it, and they molded it, but now, jojo is expected to do all of these extra things, on extra platforms. With more merch as things become "trending" online faster than ever. Its honestly baffling. I wish good things for these people.