We’re not exactly hammered over the head with suggestions that the Midwest rules and Hollywood sort of sucks, but it’s pretty close. So we forgive the script for ultimately delivering a told-you- so ending to what is otherwise a little gem of a movie.
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Director Tim Matheson also has a sense of humor throughout the story, yet he knows how to get his actors to play it real when the time comes.
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The writers also know when to turn off the sentimental stuff that we usually see in this kind of “learn your lesson” TV yarn and wish we could escape from. Humorous pokes and jabs take the edge off of what could have been a much more cutthroat view of the shallow landscape of Los Angeles.īased on the novel by Lola Douglas, the movie’s sense of humor saves the day at almost every turn. They represent the reprehensible world our heroine hails from, but neither is treated as shabbily as they might have been. The script knows its Hollywood and its reality television, both of which are major stars in this movie. “Confessions” constantly walks the line between predictable (which eventually wins out) and original (stemming from some delectable repartee between Levesque and Bertinelli). Right behind her, as the newly acquired Midwest aunt-mom, Valerie Bertinelli delivers a solid performance and even gets some good lines in Elisa Bell’s knowing and smartly written script. Levesque is completely believable as Morgan. So about halfway through this smart-talking and savvy movie, we almost start to wonder what’s worse: the fake Hollywood thing or the “typical” world of Midwest America? It’s a tossup. This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.It’s one scary moment after another as our heroine tries to make it in the “average” world of teendom. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her-who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves-Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Īfter surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. True confessions of a Hollywood starlet : a novel Bookreader Item Preview. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Doing a lot of excesses, one night she loses consciousness at the end of an evening.
Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet : Morgan Carter is a star.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends.
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