The problem with aka Charlie Sheen is that it doesn’t reveal much that we haven’t already known or that a quick Wikipedia search wouldn’t tell us.
I didn’t know he became a father at an early age with his high school girlfriend. And I vaguely remember the whole relationship with Kelly Preston that still is questionable. Whatever happened, Preston, may she rest in peace, took it to her grave. And since Sheen reveals a lot, I’m sure he and his legal team made sure things wouldn’t be released.
Also, the two men in his life who probably have a lot to say are Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez, who both declined to be interviewed. I understand. There’s no point in digging at old wounds if you don’t have to. Some things need to be left in the past. But since the elder Sheen and Estevez are MIA, this is too saccharine of a documentary. A lot of the juice that might have been hot isn’t anymore.
So, Sheen does admit what many people have expected as he’s had same-sex relationships with other men. But it’s 2025. This isn’t too hot of an issue especially for Sheen, who is a Republican. Ramon Estevez, his older brother, is interviewed but mostly he’s a substitute to discuss how it was growing up around film sets with a father who was battling his own substance abuse.
His ex-wife, Denise Richards, is interviewed at length, but even when she breaks down crying at one point, it seems expected. We’ve watched Sheen’s personal life through the highs and lows ever since the 1980s. Yes, the whole thing with Heidi Fleiss is covered with the former Hollywood madam the only one seems to have nothing nice to say about Sheen. I mean, it’s quite obvious why he would roll on her. He had more to lose.
And Fleiss has always seemed like she was seeking more attention herself but lying about seeking attention. That whole running down the driveway to close the gate news footage always made me think she was doing it for show. Fleiss overlooked prostitutes for high society. She want to rub elbows with the rich and famous. She dated Tom Sizemore, for God’s sake, it’s not like she was Mary-fucking-Poppins, except from a bizarro dimension. But it is a juice moment of the documentary that is worth watching.
Also, Jon Cryer seems to be the perfect interviewee as the observer on the fringe who is always trying to keep the prima donnas from going overboard. Cryer dated Demi Moore during her substance abuse years and then she would date Emilio Estevez. From the start, he saw celebrities destroy themselves. And while some people may not agree with him, he touches on some hard truths.
During the early 2010s when Sheen went to war with Chuck Lorre and ABC, Cryer says the reason Sheen became so popular with a section of people is because Sheen was “fighting the system” to them. Even though Sheen can’t stand the current President, you can see how the dudebro support of Sheen led to what we have now. Sheen was the highest TV actor of all time and he was standing up to the bigwigs, yet he’s a bigwig himself.
Also, I think another reason Sheen became so famous during this time is that so many people wanted to see him fail. It also shows you how sexist our society has become. Sheen was acting far worse than Britney Spears or Amanda Bynes, yet he has way too many enablers and sycophants getting whatever they can off of him before there’s a point of no return.
A lot of stuff is missing such as Sheen’s outrageous views that 9/11 was an inside job. I’m glad Sheen has gotten clean and sober and getting his life back together. And I believe him 100 percent that he never sexually assaulted Corey Haim on the set of Lucas. If anything else, Corey Feldman’s constant insistence that it happened shows you just how messed up the industry is.
The documentary was dropped on Netflix the same week of his memoir The Book of Sheen. And the thumbnail used to click on is a young pubescent Sheen back when he was just young Carlos Irwin Estevez. It is watchable but don’t expect the same WTF moments in Netflix’s crazy Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 