(May contain very mild spoilers.) This film is short and sweet, and does give a fairly decent overview of the young stars career in movies for those not previously acquainted with Miss Temple's amazing life story. However, there are occasions where the truth behind the events of her life are played down and personalities altered to suit the filmmakers' vision.
For one, Gertrude Temple was a remarkable, articulate, savvy and driven woman. She always kept a tight reign on Shirley and made sure that she had as normal an upbringing as possible under extraordinary circumstances. However, in the film, she is portrayed as an average housewife who just happens to have a famous daughter. The noble strength of this woman is certainly worthy of praise and truthful representation. Connie Britton does a lot with the little bit she's given to work with, and is as charming as ever. She is a fantastic actress who could certainly have handled playing a more accurate depiction of Gertrude Temple.
The rest of the cast does well, too. Some of the film recreations are quite well done, but I was surprised that Shirley's famous dance with James Dunn in "Stand Up and Cheer" was overlooked. Also, the recreation of Shirley's credit appearance in Baby Take a Bow looked nothing like the one in the original film.
It was nice to see Dorothy Dell portrayed, as the young actresses' tragic death prevented her from becoming the star she certainly could have been. It's nice to see her remembered and her look so accurately recreated. I would have liked to see James Dunn portrayed as well, as he co-starred with Shirley in more films than most people and was good friends with little Shirley.
Young Miss Orr does very well as Shirley, portraying her over a rather long range of years. Her rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" brought a tear to my eye. This young girl has quite a future ahead of her! The closing scenes of Shirley's career fading with advancing years is too brief, and the sudden change from young blonde to teenage brunette was rather jarring. The teenage years were one of the most eventful periods of Temple's life, and it would have been nice to see more of that. But, you can only do so much in 90 minutes.
All-in-all, not bad, but could have been so much more! A little too Disney-esquire, with the darker moments of Shirley's life swept under the rug, and an occasionally tenuous relationship with the reality of the world on the 1930s.
5 out of 10.
For one, Gertrude Temple was a remarkable, articulate, savvy and driven woman. She always kept a tight reign on Shirley and made sure that she had as normal an upbringing as possible under extraordinary circumstances. However, in the film, she is portrayed as an average housewife who just happens to have a famous daughter. The noble strength of this woman is certainly worthy of praise and truthful representation. Connie Britton does a lot with the little bit she's given to work with, and is as charming as ever. She is a fantastic actress who could certainly have handled playing a more accurate depiction of Gertrude Temple.
The rest of the cast does well, too. Some of the film recreations are quite well done, but I was surprised that Shirley's famous dance with James Dunn in "Stand Up and Cheer" was overlooked. Also, the recreation of Shirley's credit appearance in Baby Take a Bow looked nothing like the one in the original film.
It was nice to see Dorothy Dell portrayed, as the young actresses' tragic death prevented her from becoming the star she certainly could have been. It's nice to see her remembered and her look so accurately recreated. I would have liked to see James Dunn portrayed as well, as he co-starred with Shirley in more films than most people and was good friends with little Shirley.
Young Miss Orr does very well as Shirley, portraying her over a rather long range of years. Her rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" brought a tear to my eye. This young girl has quite a future ahead of her! The closing scenes of Shirley's career fading with advancing years is too brief, and the sudden change from young blonde to teenage brunette was rather jarring. The teenage years were one of the most eventful periods of Temple's life, and it would have been nice to see more of that. But, you can only do so much in 90 minutes.
All-in-all, not bad, but could have been so much more! A little too Disney-esquire, with the darker moments of Shirley's life swept under the rug, and an occasionally tenuous relationship with the reality of the world on the 1930s.
5 out of 10.