Gary

There's something very uncomfortable about this documentary on the turbulent life of the precocious talent that was Gary Coleman. For a generation he was loved wherever his flagship show "Different Strokes" was shown, and broke down various barriers without even needing to try but just be himself.

The reality was that behind the curtains, it was all another story and this documentary is meant to be trying to reveal the reality. However, as Gary Coleman has passed away, we are left to rely on a series of contributors whom we are wholly left mostly unconvinced by their sincerity or honesty in their recalling of the young man.

It makes the entire documentary difficult watch, as we know that he was a maturing male stuck in the body of young boy.

Like many others, I was charmed by Gary Coleman in his heyday and loved his exuberance & humour. Sad to see how life transpired for him and certain of his peers.

This documentary probably on what they had on hand, should have been buried. If it's meant to reveal the truth, I'm not sure any judge would be able to give a final judgement on what was presented.

Give this a miss I think, and really maybe now let's leave Gary Coleman to rest in peace.

For an excellent behind the scenes view of what Gary was really like on the set of Diffrent Strokes I highly recommend reading Todd Bridges biography. Todd provides a lot of detail and context that was sorely missing from this documentary. The majority of people know Gary Coleman from DS. Yet much of his experiences on the show was glossed over in this documentary. The behavior of his parents on set was legendary. Particularly his father--although his Mother was very much a stage mother. It is a sad and familiar story. Why so much screen time was given to his ex-wife is bewildering as she didn't know him very long and she was clearly a just another leech in a long line of leeches--who sucked the money and life out of Coleman. Her 911 call was suspect IMO giving details in a calm voice while there is blood everywhere and your boyfriend is unresponsive? Strange.

I've read about Gary Coleman throughout the years, but never had much interest in him, and never watched his TV show. Thus, I did not know if I would watch this entire documentary. I ended up having no problem watching it until the end. The doc moved along nicely and wasn't repetitious. It does offer some good insight into his life, but not enough to make it more than a sympathetic look, lacking in critical observations.

For example, why did Gary Coleman choose to marry the woman he married and still live with her after they divorced? She was a not-too-bright user who hit him, just as he hit her. With his fame and medical condition, he could have easily found a kind, nurturing woman, such as a nurse, to marry; who would have dedicated her life to supporting and taking care of him. Did he want to keep feeling like a victim, and replay over and over again the way he felt others used him?

His parents were interviewed and they weren't portrayed as the demons some think they were. His first agent was interviewed and he also did not come across badly. His best friend was constantly interviewed, and there seemed nothing nefarious about their friendship, even though his father had his suspicions. The only one who came across badly was his ex-wife, but I somewhat doubt she was responsible for his death. The two of them were a trainwreck waiting to happen, and you don't need a person to cause a trainwreck.

I grew up watching Gary Coleman since I was a baby. In particular, the sitcom Diff'rent Stroke was a family favourite. This documentary help shed light to the up and downs of this young man who could have still been alive to this day.

It is a cautionary tale in that he could have enjoyed the millions that he worked hard over the years yet as a minor (and I somewhat do not blame him for this), he had to entrust his money to a group of individuals who took advantage of him. It is even worse that he was Black.

His story is a cautionary tale never to entrust one's money to individuals who at the end will take advantage of you.

Interviews with many of the people closest to Coleman, notably his ex-wife and his longtime former agent and manager, along with his closest and dearest friends, who state the case for why that first group was responsible for a life that Coleman him expressed as being full of misery.

The film is very well edited, especially given all the ground it covers and the huge differences among those interviewed about who's to blame for what. The film also shows a beautiful degree of compassion for all that Coleman went through in his life without covering up a few of the times when he exhibited questionable behavior.