eljaykay1219-310-146082 This movie was okay. Ashley Rose Orr did a fine job as Shirley in recreated scenes from S.T. movies but not so well playing her off screen persona. That was probably the fault of the director. In one early scene Gertrude says that Shirley is 5 and the director tells her to say she is 4. 10 year old Ashley appeared to be an average size child. No way could she pass for under age 8. The vinegar rinse scene in the bathtub made no sense. Her hair was dry and curly when Gertrude rinsed it with water and vinegar. That was a popular way to make hair shine but it was done after the hair was washed. . Those two things made the movie less believable to me. I thought Hinton Battle did a great job.

Nozz Based on a published autobiography, and with the author as consultant, this production portrays the protagonist as well nigh flawless. And for all the grumbling of the adults around her about warding off the danger of spoiling her, she seems to be pretty well cocooned, with her most fearsome enemy the impending career uncertainty at the end of her childhood. The viewer can see adulthood haunting her constantly in the person of her mother, who (at least as presented here and excellently acted by Connie Britton) looks very much like the grown-up Shirley Temple. It is not a terrifying adulthood to look forward too, except that it holds no magical excitement. More ominous as a hint of the inevitable future is Shirley's attachment to the ill-fated Amelia Earhart, but the script cannot pretend it was a central concern of Shirley's; that would make Shirley look like a maniac. So the movie leads up to the question of how Shirley will confront the end of child stardom. Unfortunately, that is where it ends. There are a few words of reassurance from her mother, but how Shirley Temple is forced to attempt to re-invent herself, where she fails and how, and where she succeeds and how, are a missing denouement.

urbanpixie I didn't think this movie was very good at all. Basically they took a bunch of one-liners from various Shirley Temple movies, threw them together, and had Orr act like Shirley Temple acted on-screen. "Oh my goodness!" was said quite a number of times. If you are familiar with Shirley Temple movies, you will recognize several lines direct from her movies. The trouble is they have Orr saying these in Shirley's everyday life. In the end, what we get is a hodgepodge of re-created Shirley Temple movies, instead of any sort of real look into Shirley Temple's life. Save yourself the trouble and rent Shirley Temple movies, it's a lot better than watching Orr try and recreate Shirley's acting style.

angelgoddess I am fourteen and I wasn't born in the US. I knew that Shirley Temple was THE actress in the thirties, but not much more. Then I saw the ad for this film and decided to watch it. It was good. Except for one thing: Ashley Rose Orr doesn't have Shirley's talent, charm, or sweetness. She acted like a kid trying to be Shirley. But I had never seen a true Shirley Temple movie. I rented Poor Little Rich Girl. Forget Child Star! I'm watching the real thing. I am also proud to say that I now own six Shirley Temple (The Little Colonel, A Little Princess, and four of the short movies she did at the age of three, including Dora's Dunkin Doughnuts) movies myself and know about her life as a child actress. To me, she is THE child actress. She deserved a lot more than an honorary Oscar. But she was a kid. And grown actors don't like pint sized talent! My Grade : Shirley's real movies: A++Child Star The Shirley Temple Story: D-