Charles Nelson Reilly's one-man stage show makes for a terrific one-man movie.
Comment
05/22/08
Life of Reilly (2007)
100 %
Reviews Counted: 27 Fresh: 27 Rotten:0 Average Rating: 7.5/10
Consensus:
The Life of Reilly is a humorous and endearing look at the late comedian.
Runtime: 87 mins
Synopsis: Beloved late actor Charles Nelson Reilly headlines his one man show SAVE IT FOR THE STAGE: THE LIFE OF REILLY in this filmed performance. The frequent TONIGHT SHOW guest reveals everything from his childhood in the Bronx to his struggles and successes as a gay actor in Hollywood.... [More]
Genre: Television
Starring: Charles Nelson Reilly
Director: Frank Anderson, Barry Poltermann
Screenwriter: Charles Nelson Reilly, Paul Linke
Producer: Bob Fagan, Wrye Martin
Composer: Frank Anderson
Screenwriter: Charles Nelson Reilly, Paul Linke
Producer: Bob Fagan, Wrye Martin
Composer: Frank Anderson
Reviews
This is a story about all wide-eyed dreamers as much as it is about him: When Reilly reads off the roster of his classmates in a New York acting class for the dirt-poor, it's a simple act that's hugely inspiring.
03/06/08
Director Barry Poltermann's sweet little evocation of a show business career captures Reilly at 'the twilight of an extraordinary life,' in Reilly's words.
03/06/08
Reilly conjures a self-portrait that is insightful, hilarious and completely devoid of self-pity.
12/14/07
There's a genuine wonderment and breathless joy in Reilly's delivery that hints at what a fine stage actor he must have been, particularly when he describes going to a movie for the first time, or his thrill at first getting the lead in the school play.
12/07/07
... a poignant tribute to the one-time Broadway star best known to the public at large as a game-show wit and Johnny Carson guest.
12/06/07
It's fortunate that we have this filmed record -- directed by Barry Poltermann and Frank Anderson -- of a memorable solo performance by a true show business original.
12/03/07
Top Critic
For anyone who appreciates what The Life of Reilly was really all about, it is worthwhile.
11/30/07
In this rippingly entertaining documentary of Reilly's celebrated autobiographical monologue Save It for the Stage, the unfailingly witty, shamelessly bitchy Reilly gets to set the record straight about a number of things.
11/30/07
The Life of Reilly pays fitting homage to a man who deserves to be remembered for much more than just trading double-entendres with Brett Somers on The Match Game.
11/29/07
Anyone expecting epicene camp or gossip about Gene Rayburn and Fannie Flagg will not know what hit them.
11/29/07
I love this movie.
I don't say those four words often, so I had to put them first. And isolate them ... a postmortem revelation as much as a perfect swansong.
11/17/07
[Reilly] looks frail but holds the audience spellbound in Barry Poltermann and Frank Anderson's valuable record of the final performance of the autobiographical show that he toured for five years.
11/16/07
One could say there are two kinds of people: those who appreciate Charles Nelson Reilly, and those who don't know enough about him. This engaging documentary will charm the former and educate the latter.
11/16/07
This charming, bittersweet 90-minute monologue consists of the actor telling tales of his childhood and early years, when he was an ugly duckling from an uglier family.
11/16/07
Thank goodness Frank L. Anderson and Barry Poltermann decided to document actor and TV personality Charles Nelson Reilly's autobiographical one-man show.
11/16/07
Written by Reilly and Paul Linke, the film is both revealing and evasive. You want to know more about his personal life than you ever find out.
11/16/07
Save It for the Stage, a one-man stage show by Charles Nelson Reilly, a showbiz gadfly and Tony Award-winning theater director.
11/16/07
Top Critic
For a performer who turned banter into an art form, Reilly's stage production, Save It for the Stage, was the ideal vehicle for his autobiography.
11/15/07
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