Eternal Annoyance

I have a very simple theory about humanity. We do, in a way, make progress. But society is divided in two : those who are productive, and those who are not. And those who are not - we'll call them "slackers" from now on - slow down those who are by sucking the life out of them.

Our civilisation would be pretty much advanced if it wasn't for slackers. They are the complete opposite of productive : they destroy what we build. When we steer away from problems, and avoid trouble, they bring both to us in their quest for help. They basically need a guide written for them so they can find their way out of this cruel life.

By their constant need for attention, and for people to have a chat with, slackers can rapidly become a burden. They'll slow your intellectual reasonings by painfully narrating you every detail of their worthless week-end. They'll litterally DESTROY any attention span you might have left by interrupting you every chance they have. They will also give you missions, ask you to do things for them, things they don't have time or capacities to do, as if you didn't have enough trouble just dealing with them.

Slackers are necessary, in a way, because without them we'd be an hyperactive civilisation. Can we find the perfect balance ? Can we find what amount of slacking we need per capita ? We need a certain dose of lazyness, otherwise we're not happy. But what is this dose ? Is our body telling us we're doing too much when we fall asleep after being awake for five hours ?

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I was half disappointed by Don McKellar's CHILD STAR. I don't know what I expected. Something less subtle ? Probably. I underestimated McKellar, that's what I did. I thought that the movie would be centered around a hysterical child star and in a way, I was right. But the guy's 12 years old, so he does not destroy his hotel room, he does not get in fights... He does, however, get to bang some kind of whore and party a bit.



The tone is biting. McKellar spares nobody. He's half likable, half bad, in what is his typical self : a reasonable intellectual, ready to face anything in anybody and to answer any question with tact and wit.

So the movie is a reflection, if you will, of the sad state of foreign productions coming to shoot in Canada. A "child star" is sent to Toronto to shoot a dud called "The First Son" and, basically, so that the studios can get rid of him and breathe for a while. McKellar is the chauffeur, and as an extra he gets to bang the mother. He'll befriend the little brat and try to teach him how to pick up chicks, something that will contribute to him losing control of the situation.



The movie had echoes of RODGER DODGER, but lacked something. The ending, bitter as can be, leaves us unsatisfied. It still is an interesting flick to watch, with some uncommon views about the film industry and those who live off it.