Grown Up Movie Star (2009)

The story of Ruby, 13, determined to grow up fast after her mother runs away to become a movie star, leaving Ruby with her hopelessly rural father.

Director:

Adriana Maggs

Writer:

Adriana Maggs

Stars:

Shawn Doyle, Tatiana Maslany, Julia Kennedy

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shawn Doyle	...	Ray
Tatiana Maslany	...	Ruby
Julia Kennedy	...	Rose
Jonny Harris	...	Stuart
Andy Jones	...	Bill
Mark O'Brien	...	Will
Steve Cochrane	...	James
Maggie Meyer	...	Laura
Mary Lewis	...	Dara
Sherry White	...	Lillian
Susan Kent	...	Jennifer
Sean Panting	...	Barry
Sarah Small	...	Krista
Joel Thomas Hynes	...	Chad
Deidre Gillard-Rowlings	...	Julie (as Deidre Gillard Rowlings)

Storyline

Grown Up Movie Star tells the story of disgraced NHL star Ray and his precocious daughters Ruby and Rose. Once the town hero, Ray has returned home to Newfoundland from the US following a drug conviction, only to have his wife Lillian leave him for another man and aspirations of stardom. With Lillian gone, Ray flails from woman to woman trying to find a replacement for her, while struggling against a growing awareness of his homosexuality. At loose ends for lack of guidance, Ruby is becoming increasingly curious about her own sexuality and, in a desperate plea for attention, putting herself in increasingly risky situations. Ruby begins spending more and more time with Ray's best friend Stuart, confined to a wheelchair following an accident involving Ray. When Stuart finds himself attracted to Ruby, dangerously motivated by fear and anger, he leads the three of them towards a heartbreaking conclusion.

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Plot Keywords:

wheelchair | accident | homosexuality | coming of age | girl | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Flat Rock, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harold Greenberg Fund, The, Pope Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Damaged characters on a bleak canvas

Ruby and Rose's mother runs away to the shining lights of America hoping to become an actress. Set in Newfoundland, this movie follows the painful moments of these two girls and their father in the aftermath of this event. The girls' father Ray is a washed up hockey player who talks about the glowing hope of taking his daughters to Disneyland but cannot get a visa to the US because of a drug conviction. Ruby is in her late teens and is awakening sexually--in several directions. Ray struggles with this and also his own sex life in the wake of his wife's departure. A colorful cast of supporting actors and the starkness of life in a cold and hard Newfoundland coastal town with a deep intensity and surprises at every turn make this one that may go from festivals like Sundance to wider distribution.