Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields

Its hard to give this any less than a 10 - for Brooke's willingness to share her story with the world - knowing a lot of people are going to have a lot to say.

The challenge comes when things are reviewed in retrospect. The media industry allowed and encouraged the distribution of Blue Lagoon and Pretty Baby and the success of those films encouraged the genre to grow more. Even Roman Polanski remains a celebrated director in spite of his pleading guilty to terrible crimes again minors.

This is a tough one to gauge - the Kardashian's aren't far off from the reality here and they are thriving.

The good news in all of this is that Brooke's mother insisted Brooke stay in college - and Brooke admits that was a critical turning point in her own life - where she learned to be her own voice. If her mother was so obsessed with controlling her - I don't know if that encouragement would have happened.

I wonder what her mother would say now - looking back on the explicit sexuality of Brooke's earlier films. As a young teenager, Blue Lagoon was one of my favorite films but watching those film selects now - as an adult - I am completely horrified.

All the best to Brooke - she seems like a strong and wonderful woman.

This is a wonderful, interesting, and informative documentary about beautiful Brooke Shields. Gorgeous from birth, joined at the hip with an alcoholic mother, sexualized at an early age, in the public eye from childhood- she somehow has turned out to be a well adjusted wife, mother, and performer. None of it was easy.

The story of her horrific post-partum depression is heartbreaking. Her story of Zefferelli twisting her toe trying to get a look of ecstasy on her face is hilarious.

What saved her, I think, was truly not being sexualized in her private life, her intelligence, attending Princeton, and her humor. (Trying to find work in show biz after college - "Um, is that Brook with or without an E?")

Enlightening and inspiring, Shields is the true adult daughter of an alcoholic who, frankly, could be a big mess today.

Very insightful although parts were hard to watch. I am writing this review only to speak of the documentaries glaring problem. Some of the people speaking for Brooke were very adamant to soley blame men for her sexual exploitation and yes men should not be casting children in such provocative roles *but* the root of Brookes exploitation was primarily caused by her mother. Jobs aren't forced and the mother accepted these inappropriate jobs for her daughter. This is mostly glossed over and instead her actions are excused by harping on the fact that her mother was the "victim of a hard life", I would have liked the documentary much more if these speakers were not in it as their opinions are irresponsible and hurt feminism.

I am about 10 years older than Brooke and I remember her early movies and ads for Calvin Klein. I never saw Pretty Baby, Blue Lagoon or the Zeffirelli movie. I was creeped out by the kiddie-porn aspect back then and her mom-manager. I want to say as much as everyone hammered her mother's bad choices, her father's total emotional absence is given a pass by the world. I had respect for her when she went to Princeton and always seemed to handle herself well as an adult. I really enjoyed her clap back at Tom Cruise - as he spewed his cult nonsense. I really appreciated the first two episodes and will definitely see the rest of the series. She survived and kept herself together and that is an enormous accomplishment. The flow of the documentary is great. It addresses the systemic misogyny in our country with color and light which will allow us to look directly at it and give us the words to express it.

Brooke Shields is incredibly impressive with her down to earth honesty in reviewing her life highlights. The documentary is concise for the most part, and while the viewer might want more focus on specific areas, it's enough to convey her often alarming story of unaware exploitation. While there has been personal and media manipulation, the history of female sexual sensationalism is spotlighted. Though she will not think of herself as a victim, what's pointed out repetitively is times have changed, and what the industry did then is not socially acceptable now. What makes this documentary great is her brave perspective and intelligent insight. Hopefully others can learn from her or more about her, if they choose to do so.