Hollywood Stargirl Parent Guide

When her mom (Judy Greer) gets hired to work on a movie, Stargirl (Grace VanderWaal) finds herself uprooted and living in Los Angeles. There the young woman’s kindness and individuality inspire her neighbors, including a pair of brothers with big dreams, a cranky retiree, and a jaded musician.

I wasn’t impressed with the first Stargirl movie, thanks to its offhand treatment of the titular character. In the sequel, the writers seem to have heard my complaints and worked to fix them. This time, Stargirl is an actual person with her own inner life and conflicts. She no longer serves solely as a manic pixie dream girl for a mediocre boy. In fact, the characters have a conversation about this very topic, which is surprisingly self-aware. So, at the very least we get a female protagonist who serves a purpose outside of helping a man.

My other complaint about the first installment was how unrealistic it was – a problem that recurs in this sequel. Hollywood Stargirl presents an extremely idealized version of L.A. and the film industry. For some reason, the lack of realism doesn’t bother me as much here as it did the first time around. Yes, a bunch of teenagers get a movie greenlit by a studio, which would never happen in real life, but the sincerity of the whole production prevents me from feeling too cynical about it. This entire movie drips with sweetness and earnestness. I can’t fault it for being uplifting and hopeful.

There’s a line in the film that really sticks with me: “Just because it doesn’t look like you thought it would doesn’t mean you aren’t living your dream”. I love that message because it reminds audiences that dreams can be lots of things and can come in many packages. It’s a message that applies to people of all ages.

Another big plus with Hollywood Stargirl is its almost complete lack of negative content, which makes the movie suitable for almost everyone. The only notable issues worth mentioning are a few uses of terms of deity, and some scenes that take place in a bar, though it is very explicitly stated that the teens are not drinking and are only allowed in at certain times.

If you just want to sit back and feel uplifted, this is the film for you. I guess Stargirl’s attitude really is infectious.