Remembering Gene Wilder

If you're looking for a celebration of Gene Wilder's life and career, as well as confirmation of his legacy as a beloved performer, this quickly paced 2023 documentary from director Ron Frank and writer Glenn Kirschbaum will probably suit your needs just fine. All his most famous work and personal details are covered - the fabled collaborations with Mel Brooks, his later commercial successes with Richard Pryor, his brief and tragic marriage to Gilda Radner - as well as none-too-revealing snippets of interviews with colleagues and friends like Brooks. There's even voiceover narration from Wilder himself from his audiobook of his 2005 memoirs. Still, the film felt lacking in providing what particularly drove his creativity and ambition and how he handled professional failures after he peaked with "Young Frankenstein". Other than "The Producers", little was shared of his more obscure films, his first two marriages, and his estranged daughter. His final years, however, were covered respectfully with his happy fourth marriage to hearing specialist Karen Boyer and his 2016 death from Alzheimer's. This film felt more like a conventional tribute than a revealing life journey.

A wonderful documentary on probably the gentlest human beings ever to become a movie star. Tracing his roots as a stage performer from the Midwest, he managed to impress none other than Mel Brooks since he was starring on Broadway in a production w/his wife, Anne Bancroft & he needed to fill a part in a script that he was writing which would become The Producers. And from there you could pretty much say the rest was history as roles in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles (in a part Oscar winner Gig Young had to dismiss himself from due to his heavy drinking) & Young Frankenstein (which he co-wrote) & a partnership w/Richard Pryor through a series of comedies (Stir Crazy, Silver Streak & a couple of others) would solidify his legend. On the personal front he'd eventually find love w/fellow comedienne Gilda Radner but after her death from cancer, Wilder was lost until he partnered w/a hearing impaired therapist named Karen Boyer who he'd be w/for the rest of his life. Through all the talking head testimonials & interviews w/Wilder himself, we appreciate even now how much he gave us & how cherished we were to know him even though a celluloid screen would keep him & us apart.

An absolute gem of a documentary. Lovingly done. Much of it narrated by Gene himself. Stories of his upbringing, his family, his successes, his collaborators, and his loves. Beautifully directed. With tender stories told by Mel Brooks, Rain Pryor (Richard Pryor's daughter) and his last wife Karen. I was not aware of his later years. They are described with some detail. A tragic ending for a man whose quick wit, comedic timing, and athletic ability failed him towards the end. The song he listened to while fading away will surely bring a tear to your eye. Alzheimers is a horrific disease. Born Jerome Silverman, he died Wilder. A must see for all fans of this comic genius! Very highly recommended.

REMEMBERING GENE WILDER (2024) **** Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Alan Alda, Harry Connick, Jr., Carol Kane, Eric McCormack, Alan Zweibel, Burton Gilliam, Ben Mankiewicz, Peter Ostrum, Rain Pryor. Ron Frank's valentine of a documentary on the beloved comedic actor focuses on Wilder's theatrical and cinematic career with fond recollections by friends, family and collaborators with voice over narration provided by the late icon's audiobook biography audio mixed with clips and vintage photos of the past. The film's success is in capturing Wilder's Mona Lisa smile, mischievous glint in his eyes and utter charm and warmth by being both meek and, well, wild.

Lots to enjoy here for Gene Wilder fans. Recent interviews with the likes of Mel Brooks, Harry Connick Jr. (I must've missed the movie he did with Wilder...) and Alan Alda (ditto...) It was bittersweet watching the clips of Wilder's interviews he gave in the years leading up to his death. 2016 was a terrible year for celebrity deaths and Wilder's affected as many people as David Bowie's and Prince's deaths did.

The fault of the documentary comes from its focus on the movies. The Frisco Kid is given way too much screen time...while Silver Streak barely gets a mention and nothing from The Woman in Red is featured. These two movies were important in his resume as they co-starred Richard Pryor and Gilda Radner. Two people who were quite significant in Wilder's life. Bombs like Sunday Lovers, Funny About Love, and Another You were not mentioned but probably should have been as proof that not everything Wilder was in was gold.

Besides The Frisco Kid, the movies that get the most attention are The Producers, Willy Wonka, and Young Frankenstein. The latter is probably peak Wilder for his career as the story was his idea and he co-wrote the screenplay with Brooks.

Willy Wonka was a troubled production from Quaker Oats Cereal and did not perform well initially at the theater (its status as a beloved children's movie grew due to re-releases in the mid '70s, annual television airings in the mid to late '70s, and video in the '80s). Wilder gave the movie an edge that stayed with children after the viewing. Not much is made of this.

Basically, this is a celebration of his life, and for that reason it's worth seeing. It just could have been a bit more consistent in its rundown of his movies and dug deeper into his characterizations. But that would have probably made for a much longer documentary--which he deserved. There will never be another Gene Wilder.