Get
Bruce (1999)
My
electricity just went out for 2 seconds, my computer
glitched and I lost my entire "Get Bruce" review. It
was damn good too. The film is so funny and so great
that I will rewrite the entire thing for you here and
now!
"Get
Bruce" is a tremendously funny film about openly gay
Hollywood writer Bruce Villanch. Maybe you've seen him?
He's the rather large, bearded, red-headed guy who always
wears funny t-shirts and has been on the new "Hollywood
Squares" with Whoopi Goldberg.
Did I say it was tremendously funny? By that I mean
it is double-you-over-in-pain hilarious. Did I say Villanch
was openly gay? By that I mean he is kick-the-goddamn-closet-door-off-the-hinges
gay.
Villanch has worked with the great ones. And surprise,
it's several of the great ones known for their appeal
to gay audiences. Bette Midler, Whoopi, Lilly Tomlin
and Roseanne share the screen with Billy Crystal, Robin
Williams and Paul Reiser. Many of these give hilarious,
elongated interviews with Villanch and describe their
relationship. Villanch has worked on every benefit and
every awards show Tinseltown has offered up in the last
ten years or more. He practically wrote all those great
songs Crystal sang to open the Oscars. He wrote for
Whoopi there too. He's worked with them all. And many
more are here for brief moments, Ann Margaret, Carol
Burnett, Liz Taylor, Stephen Segall, Nathan Lane all
stop in for moments as well.
Villanch
doesn't just rely on his Hollywood friends to fill the
film however. Nor does director Andrew J. Kuehn. There
is Villanch's life story here to interest us. His wonderful
Jewish mother is an awesome character and her love for
Villanch is echoed by all the stars who appear here.
The film isn't done in a self-promoting manner, however.
Villanch may be around for the proceedings but instead
of an "Ain't I great" documentary, Villanch simple seems
to allow us to enter his world. It happens to be a world
inside of Hollywood, so that helps it be more interesting.
But Villanch's wit, his charm and his story is more
than enough to make a film out of, if need be. Still,
the stars here, like Crystal and Williams, who are known
for their ability to improv, spend wonderfully enormous
amounts of time on screen cracking us up and making
us die laughing. It's great stuff.
Most
importantly however, in it's final moment, "Get Bruce,"
after making us bust our proverbial guys repeatedly,
breaks briefly for one quiet, sweet, personal, tender
moment. Villanch gets serious and, in receiving an award
from a gay organization, opens up his wonderful humanity
to us. It's a poignant, real and deeply moving moment.
One that begins to bring tears to our eyes. But before
the first saline droplet falls, Villanch somehow manages
to gather himself, makes an amusing and light-hearted
yet perfectly delightful quip, makes us laugh once again,
and disappears back into the film. But this one moment,
this extraordinary instant in time, stays with us long
after the film ends. It's one of the most wonderful
moments in film I have ever seen.
Is "Get Bruce" a gay film? Not really. It is the story
of a Hollywood insider who just happens to be gay. It's
about Villanch's wonderful show-biz connections and
how he relates humanly to the mega-stars whom he works
with. It's a loving look at celebrity and how that world
really works.
Is
"Get Bruce" a gay film? You bet your ass it is. And
it's one of the best damn gay films I have ever seen...
|
Report
Card
Script:
A+
Acting: A+
Cinematography\Lighting: C
Special Effects\Make Up: C
Music:
A+
Final
Grade: A+
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