Gleason

Good Bio drama of a bygone era. Brad Garrett inhabits the role of Gleason. A man who's power overshadowed the 50's and 60's television world, without rival. Even Lucille Ball. Very evocative of the times. I highly recommend it. Its a 9 of 10. I rate it so high, because of the production value, and how it portrays the times Gleason lived in. Make no mistake, there are factual inaccuracies here. I am pretty big on historical inaccuracy in movies. But that's as it relates to real history. When it comes to the entertainment business itself though, malleability is part of what they do. Nonetheless, that's why its not a 10 of 10. To me, this was a film about those times. A gone with the wind era, never to return. This was entertainment for entertainment's sake.

The movie checks in on Gleason's career at a few points and we see that he started out not very good and got better. But we never see how he managed to get better. He seems never to hear criticism, but only to insist that he knows what he's doing.

And where did they get his stand-up material? It sounds like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, or at best Jack E. Leonard. Was Gleason an insult comic? I don't remember him that way. The material sounds anachronistic to me. Certainly an anachronism is Gleason shouting out "How sweet it is!" on his Stage Show program. He didn't say that until his big TV comeback.

Maybe the comeback would have been a better story to focus on. How Gleason was reduced to taking work as a game-show host, the game show flopped, and he saved the day with a one-man show that in half an hour returned him to the top of the profession.

Might have been better than trying even briefly to recreate the Honeymooners. Everyone did fine, considering. Michael Chieffo was near-perfect as Art Carney, Kristen Dalton was a competent Audrey Meadows though she forgot to stop sounding so aristocratic when Meadows was playing Alice. But the only thing that can possibly stand out in such a recreation is the imperfections. Hey, the chest of drawers is too low.

Brad Garrett did the voice reasonably well, but it was odd seeing him walking down a corridor hunched down to conceal the difference between himself and his average-sized companions. According to the papers, he had wanted very much to do the role. Okay, Brad, it was a fine salute and if they couldn't find a six-foot-four Audrey Meadows to play against you, that's not anybody's fault.

I agree that Garrett's performance was amazing, he captured the essence of Gleason perfectly. My biggest issues with the movie were two:

1. Jumping back in forth in time. I got lost after three different levels of flashbacks in the first 5 minutes. Why?

2. Completely ignored his movie career. The movie jumped from his TV work in the mid-1950's to a TV interview in the 90's (probably supposed to be his "60 Minutes" interview in 1991). Why? I hope CBS is not so crass that they mainly wanted to present him in ways having to do with his appearances on CBS! That would be amazing. His movie career occupied a much larger portion of his life than his TV career. Most of us are familiar with his later silly roles, but he did some great movie roles in the 1960s: "The Hustler" (original), "Soldier in the Rain", "Papa's Delicate Condition", etc. You can check IMDB for yourself. All worth seeing.

On the plus side, the cinematography was excellent, and looked very good in HDTV. If you didn't see it in HD, try to next time.

Also Michael Chieffo gives a pretty convincing portrayal (though perhaps a little restrained) of Art Carney, in the few scenes he appears.

Finally, Garrett goes from young and thin to really quite chubby, in both body and face. Either an excellent job of makeup and costuming, or he gained a heck of a lot of weight for the role, or a little of both? If it was done with appliances, it was the best job I've ever seen. Completely convincing, even viewed in HD.

As a kid growing up in the 60's, I have fond memories of watching Gleason's variety show and The Honeymooners, so it was with some interest that I watched "Gleason". Brad Garrett is uncanny in his portrayal of Gleason, and most of the acting is credible, but the whole thing is somewhat of a letdown. I think successful biopics are extremely hard to pull off successfully...how do you sum up a life as full as Gleason's in a mere 110 minutes? Childhood traumas of a broken family, extra marital affairs, and a long-suffering wife are brought into the mix and, along with a final reconciliation(sort-of) with a neglectful father, are somewhat pat biographical devices we've all seen before. The high point is a scene at the CBS studios, where we see Gleason rehearsing a Honeymooner's sketch with Art Carney and Audrey Meadows. There is a spontaneity and excitement as Gleason reveals his working methods and spot-on creativity and the scene absolutely comes alive. I only wish there had been more like it.

This movie captures the raw Gleason to the point of dislike; however, movie reflects that he was a driven man who knew what the audience wanted...frankly, by their reactions to prior performances. Brad Garrett captures this well and Michael Chieffo is an excellent Art Carney (who should play Carney in his own movie as the man is that convincing.)

When viewing this film pay close attention to the earlier years when Gleason is a boy and the expressions used by his father around the house and in treating his mother. Gleason eventually turns what would be deemed as closet skeletons into humor. Nicely done!