American Fame Pt. 2: Forgetting Jonathan Brandis (2005) Online

I was repulsed by this production!!! Jonathan was nothing at all like Archer portrays him. As a child, he loved acting. He approached each role with a sense of adventure. As he grew up, he was able to play several roles of broad diversity, from a young boy with a speech impediment who destroys an evil creature(Stephen King's IT) to a dreamer who saves a mythical kingdom(Neverending Story II) to a brave prince of medieval legend(Good King Wenceslas). All these roles, along with Lucas Wolenczek from Seaquest DSV and several other movie titles, allowed Jonathan the ability to entertain thousands of young teenagers and fans. Cam Archer has done nothing but further destroy a once bright and talented young actor's image and legacy, and I for one believe he should not be allowed to go near a camera of any sort ever again!!!

This was a horrible production and quite distasteful. It has nothing of value whatsoever. There was nothing about his life except in some "modern interpretation" that is all the craze among pretentious filmmakers. This was blatant exploitation of this young man's name - exploiting his name for absolute crap. Producers should be ashamed themselves and I doubt the family is particularly appreciative of this b&w waste of time. Separately there is bizarre sexual discussion between the Jonathan character and a wet, phallic blow up penguin that is clearly more about the filmmaker & Lydia Lunch than this young man. That was particularly disturbing. Side note - i like dark. I like a little disturbing. this film, unfortunately, was purely self serving. don't watch it, in fact, FORGET FORGETTING JONATHAN BRANDIS - but remember the young actor.

The show wasn't what I expected. I thought at first how horrible... But as I kept on watching, I realized that this show wasn't made to make fun of Jonathan Brandis, but to make us realize what he went through, how people treated him throughout his short life, from being on top of the world, to being forgotten (eventhough he was still here). I think that's what the producer means at the end of the show when he says that NOW (meaning now that he is really gone) we can forget him...Rather than forgetting him before when he was still alive, like everybody did (everybody in Hollywood that is). I don't think he wants people to forget Jonathan. He shows that Hollywood did before his death, and that's what killed him. So now that they killed him, they can forget him. I hope I made it clear, it's hard to explain. Such a sad event. I hope no one ever forgets Jonathan Brandis.

-- i saw some of this .. but before i watched it i thought it would portray Jonathan's life in a good way !! i thought it would be more like a remembrance video, and when i started watching it after a couple minutes to be honest i turned it off !! it was upsetting to see such a great actors life almost made fun of and mocked... he was a great and caring person and maybe people should realize it because there are lots of fans of his who miss him to this day and do not want to see anything like that!! he was a great actor .. and i loved his movies. No one should ever forget Jonathan and they won't because he will always be remembered. He will NEVER be forgotten.

I saw this the other night on IFC. It is very freaky. You have got to see the talking inflatable Darwin. I expected something entirely different from the title. The short film is from Brandis' fictional point of view, though it may contain hints of realism. It portrays the pressures of being a child actor, first with the pressure from parental figures, then from fans, and finally the pressure the actor puts upon himself to stay successful in the eyes of the public. It is particularly moving in that his best friend, Darwin, so easily abandons him and shows no empathy whatsoever. Brandis probably felt this way about the world in his last moments.

Basically, this is a short film about Jonathon Brandis, depicting the start of his career and suicide which in the film is encouraged by an imaginary, sinister dolphin.

All of the actors wear white masks, and as young Jonathon's mask begins to come off, he is told by said dolphin to "fix his face."

An odd look at the short life of actor Jonathon Brandis.

An okay short, very sad. A little creepy as well.

I didn't even know who Jonathon Brandis was before watching this documentary, I was kind of hoping it would kind of introduce him and mention some of his projects, but it didn't.

Pretty good. So-So.