wgbarry

Ludicrous MA rating on Netflix. Really? This was a kind and wholesome look at Gene Wilder as a person and his unique career.

The last section of his life with dementia is especially moving. Though this documentary doesn't include all his work, all the obvious high points are explored .

What's remarkable as a side note is the longevity of the now 98 year old Mel Brooks, who crucially helped create Wilder's career. His sense of loss is palpable.

Overall this is as good a documentary as could done.

MA must be a lazy marketing gimmick, since it suggests raw material. This is as sweet a production befitting Wilder's gentle persona.

I'm amazed how Parker is totally overlooked in some reviews. She's brilliantly vulnerable. By contrast I thought Lee Grant was a bit cartoony and yet she won an Oscar? I also see it as as a slightly expanded stage play and hardly altered. But effective overall.

The varied cast is remarkable, and Douglas had the corner on tough cynics, given Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole was released around the same time.

I think Wyler was in his element with his scenes between Douglas and Parker. Her pain was all too palpable.

I always appreciate these tight black and white no frills dramas from the 1950s. 🤔🙂