Watching this was like watching a Shirley Temple Lifetime movie, or a less bratty version of 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'. It follows the childhood of young actress Shirley Temple as she makes her way to the top of the line by tap dancing at the age of five. Emily Hart was amazing, I doubt anyone could've portrayed Temple any better, but the movie seemed to stretch on despite solid acting performances. The soundtrack was next to null and the plot froze at some parts, making them longer than they needed to be. Still, this movie shows the underlying corruption in the world of child actors (Drew Barrymore and the Olsen Twins went through it and came out as twisted, spoiled brats). There were many powerful scenes in this movie, it's not the best but it passes the time if you're looking for something interesting to watch while cleaning or studying or something.

(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.

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-

The cast in this movie were all wonderful, but Ashley Rose Orr far outshines them all. She was adorable and she truly captured Shirley in her performance. She may not have been Shirley's twin but she did wonderful playing her as on screen and off screen Shirley. Loved the dance scenes. The girl who played Shirley at age 3 was absolutely adorable. I didn't care much for the older Shirley, played by Emily Hart. She looked nothing like Shirley or even Ashley Rose Orr. Emily would be better in more modern movies. A better older Shirley could have been found, or I think Ashley Rose Orr could have done it fine with some help from makeup and hair, etc. Overall Ashley Rose Orr was very entertaining and I'd love to see her on the screen again, whether big screen or small screen!