Love, Gilda
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Revealing
Retrospective Revisits Life and Times of SNL's Gilda Radner
Gilda
Radner (1946-1989) wais best known as an original cast member of
Saturday Night Live. In fact, she was the very first of the “Not
Ready for Prime Time Players” hired back in 1975 by the show's
creator/producer, Lorne Michaels.
She
soon skyrocketed to superstardom on the strength of sketches where
she played such unforgettable characters as Roseanne Roseannadanna,
Emily Litella and Baba Wawa (aka Barbara Walters), to name few.
Sadly, her career would be aborted by a diagnosis of ovarian cancer
which would claim her life at the age of 42.
Love,
Gilda marks the
directorial debut of Lisa Dapolito who paints a poignant portrait of
the late comedienne, mostly in her own words, via a combination of
diary
entries, home movies and recently discovered audiotapes.
The reverential
retrospective also features archival footage of performances, as well
as wistful reminiscences by her brother, Michael, and colleagues like
Chevy
Chase and Laraine Newman.
The
engaging biopic unfolds chronologically, with Gilda reflecting upon
how she developed an interest in comedy at an early age while growing
up in Detroit. “Because I'm not a perfect example of my gender, I
decided to be funny about what I didn't have.“ she explains.
She
majored in theater at the University of Michigan and dropped out not
to kickstart her career, but to follow her sculptor boyfriend to
Canada. She did join Toronto's Second City comedy troupe there,
comparing improv to a circus performer's working without a net.
Gilda
eventually landed her big break on NBC's groundbreaking show in New
York She insightfully describes each SNL episode as “an opening
night of an under-rehearsed Broadway play.”
Overall,
a fond tribute to a much-beloved comedy icon.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated
Running
time: 88 minutes
Production
Studio: 3 Faces Films / Motto Pictures
Studio:
Magnolia Pictures
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