Gary (2024)

Gary (2024). 1h 31m

“This examination on the late child actor Gary Coleman (1968-2010) offers a full view on the many controversies surrounding his life and career,nand just a few glimpses about his work and talent. To the most devoted fans who expect to see a lot from his moments of glory, humor and the perks ofnfame, you wonu0026#39;t be seeing much of those in u0026quot;Garyu0026quot;. Peacock followed family and friends, colleagues, lawyers and agents, and no one outside of his innerncircle to present the vieweru0026#39;s perspective in seeing a talented and charismatic child dominating the screen in the incredible u0026quot;Diffu0026#39;rent Strokesu0026quot; andnother smaller projects. But to the ones who follow rise and fall and controversies of an actor, this one offers a full view that doesnu0026#39;t disappointnand it generates curiosity in those who donu0026#39;t know much about Gary.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat dominates this special are the countless dramatic moments that followed Coleman, either dealing with parents and agentsnwho micromanaged his career and finances to a critical point, where the actor was being literally robbed by nearly everyone around him. Itu0026#39;s sad tonsay it, but itu0026#39;s the usual textbook that followed many child actors/artists through decades (rare these days, but still happens). But seeing the scopenof things, what happened to an already frail kid with many health issues, and that u0026quot;fateu0026quot; of dealing with untrsuty people followed him even when he got married later on, itu0026#39;s tragic.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe presence of his parents, the wife and the agent who profitted of him can revolt the most sensitive viewer – I was in total disbelief seeingntheir u0026quot;seriousu0026quot; act on screen. Gotta have a lot of nerve.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut it also follows his true loyal friends who helped him out whenever needed (Dion Mial,nwho later became his manager after a falling out with a previous agent, shares many amazing stories of genuine friendship. Lucky folks might havena buddy like him). Co-star Todd Bridges and a few others who worked on u0026quot;Diffu0026#39;rent Strokesu0026quot; offer the good stories from behind the scenes of the show,nand some serious ones concerning Colemanu0026#39;s dad bossing around on the set.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI canu0026#39;t offer a view of Gary Coleman as a fan since I know very little about him, in fact I only know him because of that show (called u0026quot;Arnoldu0026quot; innhere) which had a re-run a lot later but very popular to audiences. I didnu0026#39;t know about the whole issue concerning his death and the foul play suspicious on thenex-wife, and that really took me by surprise. But if comparing with other documentaries made about important personalities, I can understand the criticismnand rejection some viewers will have with this project since itu0026#39;s too downer and focused on gossips or u0026quot;he said/she saidu0026quot;, and very little about his worknand attempts to rebuild his career outside of the Arnold Jackson character. We have plenty of great clips of his TV and cinema work, but without the inputnfrom critics or artists who were inspired by Coleman, thereu0026#39;s something missing to understand one of the greatest TV icons of the 1970u0026#39;s-1980u0026#39;s.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYet I was thrilled with it. It was a quite emotional journey with many surprising facts, dramatic moments and some humored as well – I couldnu0026#39;t resistnlaughing at his loan/credit commercial where he was poking fun of his downer financial problems. And viewers can take a closer look at Coleman that goesnbeyond Arnold: the funny kid; the brave kid who loved his work and continued with it despite being sick; the young man who struggled a lot, almost gave upnof everything when things werenu0026#39;t going his way, made some mistakes but kept going facing the obstacles. Itu0026#39;s mostly a downer, but there are inspiring moments that can makenyou look at things in a positive way, and just be critical of this fame thing and how it ruins bright talents who arenu0026#39;t sheltered with a great supportnnetwork. As Mial says, this was a cautionary tale. 9/10.”