Childstar (2004)

Director:

Don McKellar

Writers:

Don McKellar
Michael Goldbach

Release Date:

11 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

When you're only famous for fifteen minutes, every second counts.

Plot:

Taylor Brandon Burns, a conflicted twelve-year-old TV star from the U.S., runs away from the set - and his problems...

Plot Keywords:

Film Within A Film | Mother Son Relationship | Teenage Boy | Underage Drinking | Child Actor

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Don McKellar	...	Rick
Peter Paige	...	Tim
Gil Bellows	...	Isaac
Victoria Fodor	...	Enthusiastic Agent
Patrick Garrow	...	P.R. Agent
Alan Thicke	...	J.R.
Mark Rendall	...	Taylor Brandon Burns
Pamela Redfern	...	Stewardess (as Pam Redfern)
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Suzanne
Danielle Miller	...	Fangirl
Michael Murphy	...	Reed Harrison
Brendan Fehr	...	Chip Metzger
Noam Jenkins	...	Sydney Mehta
Jeanie Calleja	...	Jane - 3rd A.D.
Dave Foley	...	Philip Templeman
Toby Proctor	...	Wade Keeler - 1st A.D.
Tracy Wright	...	Tabitha
Jeff Jordan	...	Basil
Bob Martin	...	Mr. Budge
Wendy Lyon	...	Miss Kelly
Jeffrey R. Smith	...	Mr. Cramer-Byng
Tricelle Cummings	...	Angie #1
Raven Dauda	...	Angie #2
Kristin Adams	...	Natalie
Allegra Fulton	...	Photographer
Paul Haddad	...	'Wedge' Exec
Albert Howell	...	Lighting Guy
Eric Stoltz	...	Fresno Burnbaum
Matt Watts	...	'First Son' Editor
Kelly Fiddick	...	Ex-Junkie
Paul Romanuk	...	Hockey Announcer
Bill Hayes	...	Hockey Announcer
Johnny Goltz	...	Terrence
Leah Renee	...	Girlfriend (as Leah Cudmore)
Paul Brogren	...	Young Pioneer
Michael Barry	...	Waiter
Lisa Lambert	...	Sous Chef
Kathryn Haggis	...	Dishwasher
Stefanie Samuels	...	Nurse
Mark Dailey	...	News Anchor
J.C. Kenny	...	L.A. Reporter
Kris Saric	...	S.W.A.T. Sargeant
Jay Ferguson	...	Fresno's Band
Michael Johnson	...	Fresno's Band
Chris Murphy	...	Fresno's Band
Andrew Scott	...	Fresno's Band
Nathan Stephenson	...	First Son Actor - Chad
Jake Goldsbie	...	First Son Actor- Dexter
David Klar	...	First Son Actor - Lenny
Matt Cahill	...	First Son Actor - Camp Counsellor
Taxi	...	Banjo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Niv Fichman	...	Audience (uncredited)
Mani Nasry	...	Jesus (uncredited)

Directed by
Don McKellar

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Goldbach
Don McKellar

Produced by
Niv Fichman	....	producer
Daniel Iron	....	producer
Jennifer Jonas	....	producer

Original Music by
Christopher Dedrick

Cinematography by
André Turpin

Film Editing by
Reginald Harkema

Casting by
John Buchan

Production Design by
John Dondertman

Costume Design by
Debra Hanson

Makeup Department
Debra Johnson	....	hair stylist (as Deb Johnson)
Traci Loader	....	first assistant makeup artist
Mary Monforte	....	key makeup artist
Taraleigh Wallace	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Matt Cahill	....	post-production supervisor
Maribeth Daley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Black	....	second assistant director
Vicki Henton	....	trainee assistant director
David Manion	....	first assistant director
Neil Winemaker	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Garry Honcharuk	....	property master
Norm Ouzounis	....	props
David Sauder	....	assistant art director
Adam Urquhart	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Erik Culp	....	foley mixer
Robert Fletcher	....	sound recordist
Martin Lee	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Munro	....	sound designer
Lou Solakofski	....	sound re-recording mixer
Iain Stewart	....	boom operator
David Drainie Taylor	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Tim Good	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Naomi Anderlini	....	main title designer
Rob Gyorgy	....	digital effects artist
Chad Malbon	....	digital film producer
Chad Malbon	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Tiny Good	....	stunt rigging
Brayden Jones	....	stunts
Alison Reid	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Max Armstrong	....	camera trainee
Blayne Badge	....	electrician
Terry Banting	....	gaffer
Dean Dallas Bentley	....	grip
Pauline Edwards	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Andy Gondek	....	best boy electric
J.W. Lee Ionson	....	generator operator
Eric Jennings	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Lainie Knox	....	first camera assistant: "b" camera
John Pogue	....	electrician
John Price	....	first assistant camera
Joe Strazzeri	....	key grip
Clayton Tiedemann	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Jonathan Payne	....	casting assistant

Editorial Department
Louis Casado	....	film timer
Kenn Elliott	....	colorist: HDTV dailies
Jim Fleming	....	digital film colorist
Branko Vasovic	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Velma Barkwell	....	executive producer: soundtrack album
Erin Hunt	....	music coordinator: S.L. Feldman & Associates
Michael Perlmutter	....	music supervisor: S.L. Feldman & Associates (as Michael A. Perlmutter)
Ron Searles	....	music score recording engineer

Other crew
Cynthia Amsden	....	unit publicist
David Betances	....	production assistant
Janet Cavanagh	....	set supervisor
Gary Eisler	....	stand-in: male
Eric Fieland	....	production assistant
A.J. Hordal	....	location manager
Kris King	....	assistant production coordinator
Julie McLeod	....	stand-in: female
Oliver Olsen	....	script supervisor
Carole-Ann Woods	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Atom Egoyan	....	special thanks
Ron Sexsmith	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Rhombus Media

Distributors

• TVA Films (Canada) (theatrical)
• America Video Film (2004) (Non-USA) (all media)
• Hart Sharp Video

Special Effects

• Good FX

Other Companies

• Hand Prop  props supplied by
• S.L. Feldman & Associates  music supervision
• Toronto Film Studios  movie studio

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Runtime:

98 min | Canada:100 min (Ontario)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Rhombus Media

Trivia:

Filmed in 19 days.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Rick is taking Taylor out on the town in Toronto to help him gain experience with women, initially they are driving northbound on Yonge Street, a few blocks north of Eglinton (as evidenced by the HMV location next to Toys 'R' Us; these two stores are part of the Yonge-Eglinton Centre). Shortly afterward, they are at a cafe called Il Gatto Nero, which is at College and Crawford, a few blocks east of Ossington - and several kilometres to the SOUTHwest of the Yonge and Eglinton area.

Quotes:

[Natalie and Taylor have snuck onto the White House set to have sex]
Taylor Brandon Burns:So where do you want to do it? The Oval Office, The Greenroom, the Lincoln Bedroom ?
Natalie:It's your fantasy; I'm Canadian.

Movie Connections:

References The Mother and the Whore (1973)

Soundtrack:

One Way Street

It's Not Rocket Science

How much I enjoyed this film surprised me. (I saw it at the Philadelphia Film Festival the day after I saw "Checking Out" with Peter Falk. So—that's saying a lot.)

"Childstar" is a droll send-up of fawning over child stars in our culture, and of being a person low on the film industry totem pole. There is a lot of clever, well-produced stuff in this film. My only negative comment is that too much seems to have been directly lifted from an episode of The Nanny, "When You Pish Upon a Star."

I will go to see any film with Jennifer Jason Leigh. Her arc seems to be like that of Geneviève Bujold before her. Leigh seems to have managed to be in a lower proportion of turkeys than Bujold, so far. Her performance this time worked for me.

Likewise the performance of Don McKellar in his own film was just fine. More power to him!