Lifetime Review: 'Mommy's Little Star'

Synopsis:

Olivia Carrington (Maja Vujicic) is having a hard time lately. Her parents have divorced and her recovering alcoholic mother Lauren (Rebecca Amzallag) is reluctant to spend more time with Olivia, fearful of suffering a relapse. The 12-year-old finds solace in a new app called Sparxy, with her videos quickly earning her tons of attention. Hoping that her newfound fame will bring her and her mother closer, Olivia becomes more involved in Sparxy and works to win a lucrative contest. Lauren happily supports her daughter's budding career as an influencer, with her new boyfriend Aiden (Roderick McNeil) offering his expertise as a former talent manager. But what Lauren doesn't realize is that Aiden has ulterior motives for helping her daughter win the contest. This pseudo-manager's secrets may cost Olivia more than just a few followers...

Story:

Mommy's Little Star is a cross between a "Perils of the Internet" drama and the average Lifetime thriller about a woman finding out her new boyfriend isn't who he seems. Throughout most of the film, time is divided equally between Olivia's unhealthy fixation on Sparxy/strained relationship with her parents and Aiden plotting to use the Stars Rising contest winnings to pay off his debts. Towards the end, though, the latter plotline takes center stage and ends the movie with a rather anticlimactic finale. What's more disappointing is how Aiden's backstory presents an idea for a more powerful climax, but that avenue is left unexplored.

On the plus side, the final act doesn't abandon the script's balanced portrayal of social media. True, Olivia loses herself a bit when she becomes determined to win the Stars Rising contest. But other times, the film shows that Sparxy (and, by extension, its real-life counterpart TikTok) can bring people together and foster careers if used properly. When Olivia's just having fun making dance videos and not obsessing over the contest, it's sweet to watch--especially when she gets her friends and mother involved. SPOILER ALERT As such, it's a good choice for the movie to end with Olivia being undecided on whether or not to continue being an influencer. Seeing as how Olivia appears to genuinely have fun with the app, it would make sense for her to continue doing Sparxy for fun or keep her career going after she and her parents find a legitimate manager to work with her. Spoilers Over

So apart from the lukewarm conclusion, Mommy's Little Star is a well-paced and engaging thriller. While its portrayal of online stardom is pretty unrealistic (from what we see, Olivia posts one video and is instantly swarmed with likes and comments), the colorful visuals and upbeat pop soundtrack make it fun to watch Olivia's rise to popularity before it starts getting the better of her. This all running in tangent with Aiden's underhanded schemes only means there are two interesting plots to keep your attention.

Characters:

The characters involved in both plotlines are mostly well-defined and consistent, though there are some missteps. Overall, Olivia is a good kid who gets carried away after becoming too attached to Sparxy. She sees the app as her way to get her mother back and being a Sparxy star as the "only thing she's good at." That said, the rate at which she turns against her best friend is incredibly abrupt and the fact that Olivia SPOILER ALERT is ready to get back to Sparxy right after the incident where she inadvertently gets her nanny hit by a car is seriously out of character. Even more perplexing is how Olivia never gets punished for this, outside of being persuaded to stay offline for a single night. Spoilers Over Similarly, Lauren is a good mother who wants to ensure she never lets her vices hurt Olivia again. She's also fairly responsible when it comes to her daughter's budding influencer career, as Lauren's support is purely based on seeing that Olivia is doing something that makes her happy.

Her actions in regards to Aiden, however, are a lot less responsible. While Lauren wisely never leaves her new boyfriend alone with Olivia, she still puts a lot of blind trust in someone she hardly knows. It's made even more baffling because of how little we see of Lauren and Aiden's relationship. One second, they're meeting at a restaurant, and the next, Lauren's kissing Aiden and having her daughter meet him. Even if we're meant to assume that Aiden is just that charming, it would've been nice to see him in action. Speaking of Aiden, he makes for a lowkey but nonetheless ruthless villain. The second he hears about Olivia, he gets to scheming. But even as he starts eliminating the obstacles that threaten to keep Olivia from winning the contest, it would seem Aiden has a subliminal moral code--albeit a very warped one. He never aims to kill anyone and he never lets his true colors come out in front of Olivia. He may be plotting to swindle a 12-year-old and he is prepared to use deadly force when necessary, but at least Aiden is above physically harming children.

Olivia's father Brad is just as loving and supportive as Lauren, even if his work ends up keeping him away for much of the movie. Her friend Sidney and nanny Hope are also sweet as they become concerned with Olivia's change in behavior, making it all the more upsetting when Olivia turns against them. Olivia's attitude towards Hope at least makes more sense than her sudden mistreatment of Sidney. After all, she's shown to have issues with her nanny even before she discovered Sparxy. Brad's assistant Celine, while a minor character, still makes an impression. She's a loyal colleague to Brad, a sweet supporter of Olivia's Sparxy success, and she even proves to have a small but vital role in the third act. On the other side of the morality coin is Misha Webb, a liaison involved with the Stars Rising contest turned sly accomplice. Misha is just as deliciously greedy and slimy as Aiden, but her villainy also comes with a subtle bit of hypocrisy. Soon after going on a spiel about how exploitative and damaging social media is on "kidfluencers," she happily agrees to help Aiden exploit Olivia.

Acting:

The performances are very much like the characters themselves: well-done overall, despite having some fumbles. Maja Vujicic has a fair share of stiff moments, but otherwise sells Olivia as an angsty but ultimately lovable kid you just want to see get through the rough patch she's in. The same can be said for Sylvia Nguyen, though with Sidney being a much less active character with fewer lines, Nguyen's wobbly deliveries are a lot more noticeable. Rebecca Amzallag does a decent job playing a fairly by-the-book "troubled but loving mother" character. Her acting is about as slippery as Vujicic's, but she also pulls it together enough to make you root for Lauren to do right by her daughter and repair their bond. David Lafontaine does just as well in the role of Olivia's doting father while Roderick McNeil is suavely sinister as Aiden. Even the movie not showing us Lauren and Aiden's relationship development, McNeil makes it somewhat believable that Lauren and especially Olivia would be so quick to trust him.

Puja Uppal does some solid work as Hope. She lets the viewers see her as a caring nanny while also allowing them to see why Olivia is so put off by her strictness. Deanna Jarvis is surprisingly endearing as Celine while Erica Anderson matches wicked wits with McNeil as Aiden's self-serving cohort. While Misha's involvement in Aiden's plan is limited, Anderson makes the most of her screentime by giving an amusingly snarky performance.

Overall:

With all the glitches it has in terms of its script and cast, Mommy's Little Star is still an enjoyable little feature. It's not as high-octane as other Lifetime thrillers, which might turn some viewers away, and any one of the problems mentioned above could've been what ruined the film. But to counteract those problems, the movie has smooth pacing, a relatively compelling story, and actors who power through their lesser moments to give credible performances. Even those with a disdain for TikTok or influencer culture might find some entertainment value in Mommy's Little Star.

Score: 7 out of 10 soda companies.