The Life of Reilly

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

As the film opens, some people on the street are asked if they know who Charles Nelson Reilly is. Several of them say they've heard his name but don't really know him. Well, before seeing this film, I feel into that category. I didn't even realize until right before seeing the film that he has recently passed away.

The movie was very entertaining. I hadn't heard of the stage production, so I didn't know that the movie was a filming of his one man show. But I really enjoyed it. Charles Nelson Reilly was quite the character. He was funny and witty and never worried about making fun of himself. In the film, Charles mostly talked about his childhood and how he started out in the entertainment business. There were a lot of great stories and some inside jokes. I liked whenever he talked about a new person from his family or someone close to him that he would cast a famous person to play the part.

This film was a lot of fun and I really got to know who the real Charles Nelson Reilly was. It's sad that he's gone, but he lived a long life and the film seems to show that he enjoyed every bit of it. And he gave an excellent finale.

I just had the opportunity to catch this at the 2007 Madison Film Festival and thought it was such a wonderful film; equally entertaining, touching, and funny. The content of this film, which is Mr. Reilly's stage show that recaps his life and work, is absolutely fantastic. Equally important was the editing and capturing of his performance, where I felt the impact and intimacy of a live show.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful life, Mr. Reilly! And for all the lifetime of laughs, even if you want to forget about the TV material. Thanks to the film makers that brought this performance to a wider audience.

I can't recommend this enough and look forward to its release on DVD, so I can share it with my friends.

While watching his performance, I realized that performers of his caliber just don't grace the screen anymore. A thought that is quite depressing.

This is a unique movie as it is the last performance Charles Nelson Reilly ever did of his one man show. To watch him tell his stories is to see a master weave his craft into words that keep you consistently engrossed by what he has to tell.

CNR's life is fascinating. There is much more to him than most people will ever know. For years you just knew him as the guy on match game, and that funny guy on the Lucy episode, or wasn't he on ghost and Mrs Muir? Something about him in all of those things stuck out enough for people to remember him. The man is an amazing performer, and his words are rich in with the history of Broadway, Hollywood and his personal life.

This film needs to be released on DVD or somehow the gameshow network needs to make a deal with the film maker and show it on the gameshow network, or release it with one of the DVD sets! People need to see it!

I knew who Charles Nelson Reilly was from the old game shows on TV when I was a kid. This movie is pretty much a film of his stage act (I didn't know he had one). The guy lived an incredible life and if he were to read this he would stress that he "STILL IS LIVING an incredible life." This is a great stage act brought to the screen and it has a real neat feel to it. The camera angles and editing add to this man's story telling. It is a very unique movie and I can't recommend it enough. I saw it down at the SWX film festival and everybody was raving about it. I think you walk into the movie with low expectations (who really wants to see an older man from cheesy game shows in a one-man stage show talk about his life?!) but the movie grabs you.

This film consists of the actor, Charles Nelson Reilly, doing a stand-up act where he talks about his life, his family and his experiences. I had assumed based on the Reilly I'd seen on TV that it would be funny. And, while there are definitely funny parts, there are as many, if not more, painful parts. Apparently, he grew up in a strange and emotionally abusive home--and although he doesn't say it, you wonder if he chose acting as a way of dissociating from this. At first, he talks slow and shows his age. But, through the course of this talk to a college audience, he becomes more animated and at ease. And, at times, he seemed amazingly young and spry--bouncing about the stage with a lot more vigor than you'd expect from a man in his mid-70s. Throughout all this, he's amazingly engaging and you can't help but sit spellbound. In many ways, it reminds me of a similar film with John Waters called "This Filthy World"--and both are nice opportunities to see these men and gaze into who they really are--or at least who they want you to see. Well worth seeing even if you aren't a fan of Reilly. After seeing it, you may well be.

Also, for kicks, go to YouTube and type in "Weird Al CNR" and watch the video. It's all about the massively manly exploits of Charles Nelson Reilly and it's hilarious.