I Was Honey Boo Boo

True confession: Honey Boo Boo is my reality TV junk food. I've followed the family since the beginning, so I know the story of the Shannon clan pretty well. What can I say? I'm stubborn about quitting things. Anyway, it only makes sense that a TV movie about their lives would end up on Lifetime (my other secret addiction). And surprisingly this television adaptation is shockingly accurate as it follows the family's turmoil as they navigate sudden stardom and worse. Narrated by the real Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, it plays like a CliffsNotes version of over a decade of the family's highs and lows. I'm sure most folks will laugh at the notion that it is well made endeavor, but director Katie Boland and writer Emily Silver accurately depict events rather well. Also, a huuuuuuuge shout out should go to the casting director, who managed to find folks who really resembled their real-life counterparts. Neil Chinneck as Sugar Bear, Richard Emerson as Geno and Keith Alexander as Dralin are all great in their roles. Special shout out to the production designer who made sure Justin had the appropriate "King" necklace too. However, the real praise should fall to the three leading ladies on whom the film is built upon. Now, some might recoil at the notion that a TV movie about Honey Boo Boo actually has good acting, but the trio of lead roles (Mama June, Honey Boo Boo, and Pumpkin) are really well done. Chelsea Larkin has the unenviable task of essaying June and, while she might not look exactly like her (thank goodness!), she has Mama June's mannerisms down. Isabelle Ayres plays the teenage Alana aka Honey Boo Boo and really handles the complex emotional role well for a debuting actress and even sounds exactly like her at times. However, nothing could prepare me for Georgia Small as the grown-up Pumpkin. She sounds so much like her and had her mannerisms down that sometimes I thought it was the real Pumpkin on screen. It was eerie. Honey Boo Boo the show is kind of like that old pro wrestling adage: For fans, no explanation is necessary, and for critics, no explanation will do. I'm sure most will scoff at the idea of this even existing, but for what it is, the entire team did a great job.

Basically other than the first five minutes of the show, everything else you've seen on Toddlers and Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Mama June: Hot to Not, Mama June: Family Emergency is told from Alana's perspective...which all of those shows literally had her perspective so you're not missing it.

What this really is, is Alana looking back at it as a college student, which isn't saying much because shes basically had the same view as before. It doesn't have any of her sisters input nor Mama June's.

It's like watching a tired zoo animal perform the same tricks again and again but in a more decrepit state. 2/10 wouldn't recommend. 2 stars basically because the actors deserved better

I wouldn't even recommend creating a FRNDLY account and trial, the app sucks, and YOU CANT EVEN SKIP THROUGH.

I had totally forbotten all about this family until i noticed this show and said i might waste a bit laughing.. i didnt.. i got depressed. The cut away of Alana voicing over is desperate.. especially the facial expression and "the goo goo juice eyeballs" are still there.

Just another money grab, as they explained the whole way thru the show, every moment was a money grabbing moment for Mama June.. So did she do this doc for free.. she did in her fifteen chins... The actors and actresses bless their cotton socks did a fantastic job show how shallow they were and.. what wa with the constant LENS FLARE BLOOM EFFECT... 9 outa 10 for the scares every time that Behemoth spoke.. 1 out of ten for interest or whatever.

I truly commend Alana for having the courage to share her story and I am sure it took a huge amount of strength. I hope she is in a much better place now and continuing to heal. I think her story will others going through similar challenges feel less alone.

That being said, I couldn't finish watching because the acting wasn't the best & it detracted away from Alana's story.

Broken heart to see the way they treated her. Watched her grow up on tv but really never knew how she felt and struggles that she was going through. She is only 19 now and glad she is finding her own happiness. She deserves happiness and looks like she is finding it. Hoping she does another so show without anyone from her family. Just Alana and Dralin. She is chasing her own dreams now and she will make them come true without anyone's help. She is no longer the little girl everyone fell in love with, now she is a young woman and real fans still love her and wish nothing but the best for her. She will be great at anything she does.