Love, Gilda

Streaming: Hulu/Prime Video
Rating: Not Rated

Love, Gilda is not only a wonderful documentary but also an experience; you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and the film will make you think. Love, Gilda is a powerful inside look into the late actress and comedian Gilda Radner. Directed by Lisa Dapolito, the film examines the comedy scene from the 1970s and 80s and how Gilda influenced it as one of the first female comedians on Saturday Night Live (SNL). She certainly didn’t peg herself as a feminist, however, by being the only woman doing what she was doing, she inherently became a feminist icon. During that time, she often was put in typical roles only reserved for women, yet she didn’t complain, and she conquered those roles with grace. After a while, she started creating roles for herself and other women, thus expanding opportunities for other female comics to express themselves in unique ways.

Not only did other women appreciate Gilda for her strong personality and talented acting, but male comics saw her potential as well and assisted in getting her where she was in her career. The film highlights how much influence Gilda had over these very talented comedians who are still actively working today. Many talented actors are interviewed about Gilda’s life and their relationships with Gilda such as Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd, just to name a few. The film goes deep into Gilda’s personal relationships, her struggles with her health and weight, as well as her family life. The film does a wonderful job exposing the human side of an iconic actress that the general public has never seen before; It truly uncovers a world that most people don’t often get to be a part of.

Alongside having a strong influence on talented male actors, Gilda had influence over female comics that are currently on the scene today. The film interviews female SNL successors to Gilda, and they discuss in depth how she paved the way for their comedy careers without even knowing it. Love, Gilda is calculated and thoughtful in who they chose to interview for this documentary; Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Cecily Strong and Melissa McCarthy read emotional, old letters Gilda wrote to convey her experiences as a woman in comedy. These actresses even comment on how much of an honor it is to have be able to read Gilda’s handwritten letters within the film.

This film is a tribute to American comedy and what goes into it; it exposes a great deal of the comedy scene in both positive and negative ways and shows how hard Gilda worked to get where she was in her career. Lorne Michaels discusses Gilda with such content and talks about how she was dearly missed after she left SNL but understands why she did. One especially touching addition to the film is the archival footage that is incorporated (her brother provided a lot of the home videos). The archival footage and audio of Gilda shows her personality in a beautiful way; if you don’t know who she is before you watch the film, you’ll fall in love with her by the end of it. Her spirit is captured in such a considerate way, you can’t help but cry. This is a side of comedy that is often overlooked, comedians are not viewed as human, and their pain isn’t often exposed until it is too late (note: comedians have the highest suicide rate of any profession). Gilda was by no means suicidal, however she did struggle with depression which affected her health in many ways, and it is so important to discuss those types of struggles when talking about comedy; the film contemplates this in a meaningful way.

Love, Gilda is a piece of history that shows how far we have come in comedy and the roles of female actors. It really hasn’t been that long since women were only allowed to play roles “reserved for women”. Even though Gilda passed away from ovarian cancer at such a young age, this documentary proves that she has had an important influence for years, and she still has influence today. If you want to learn about self-love, I highly recommend this film; Gilda taught people that it’s okay to be your genuine self, and that even when you’re incredibly famous, you’re still just like everyone else.

Morris From America

Streaming: Prime Video (With Subscription)
Warnings:
Explicit Language
Nudity
Drugs
Rating: R

Morris From America is a dramatic comedy that follows a young teen named Morris and his father while they are living in Germany. The film was written and directed by Chad Hartigan and stars Craig Robinson, Markees Christmas, Carla Juri, and Lina Keller. Morris From America was nominated for numerous awards and won the Special Jury Price and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival. These accolades are understandable because the concept of Morris From America is a unique story looking at Americans from the outside in. Morris From America also shows the perspective of being American in a foreign country and the struggles people deal with while learning how to adapt to a new culture. The acting of Craig Robinson and Markees Christmas are genuine and heartfelt, showing a father and son relationship that is both relatable and authentic. The music in Morris From America is an interesting mix of American hip hop and German electronic music. This is an enjoyable family related film that sheds light on American and German culture while also highlighting stereotypes that can be detrimental to Black Americans when they are abroad.

Morris From America has a unique storyline that is unpredictable and also cringe-worthy at times. Morris who is played by Markees Christmas is struggling to make friends and fit in with the right crowd in Germany, having only his father to talk to, he begins to hang out with the rebellious kids. His experiences as a young teen in Germany are interesting because of the portrayal of how German teens view and misunderstand Black Americans; yet they still have similar qualities as teenagers growing up and trying to understand the world. Morris From America is a distinctive film in more ways than one because of the outside look at Americans and the viewpoint of being American living in an unfamiliar country.

The acting is something to note in Morris From America because of the mix of young actors as well as Craig Robinson’s role as the widowed father Curtis. Craig Robinson is not a father himself, but he used his own experiences from childhood to portray the struggles of being a father, he also had to learn conversational German for this role. The young actor Markees Christmas also stood out, especially because this was the first feature film, he has acted in. He was nominated for an Outstanding Breakthrough Performance Award by the Black Reel Awards. Lina Keller played Katrin who is Morris’ crush, she is a character who is rebelling through her teenage years. Her portrayal of a young teen who hates the world is relatable and frustrating to watch as an adult. Overall, the acting in Morris From America brought the story to a new level of interesting and created convincing characters that the audience can relate to.

The music is a big part of the film because Morris and his father Curtis relate to each other through hip hop music. Both Morris and Curtis can rap, Morris hopes to be a professional rapper someday and Curtis is supportive of his son’s dreams. Keegan DeWitt edited the music for this film and incorporated some of his own music as well. Morris From America also incorporates German music into the film, Morris is introduced to German electronic dance music when he is with his rebellious friends, and he even learns how to dance to it. This clash of cultures is interesting and hints at the dynamic world education Morris is going to continue to experience living as a young American abroad.

Morris From America is enjoyable, witty, and heartfelt. This film shows the audience a different portrayal of Americans from a German perspective while highlighting the struggles that Americans may face while abroad. Even though this film isn’t the most shocking or eye-opening film, for what it is, it certainly has charm. From the talented acting, interesting storyline and wonderful music, this film takes the audience on an adventure through Germany and teenage rebellion. I highly recommend this heartwarming film when you are looking for an escape.