GENE WILDER DOCUMENTARY SHOWS WHY HE IS STILL BELOVED

There are certain actors that transcend their careers with stand out characters and actions. Pick one of the legendary actors and you know the role or roles they are known best for. Usually when their life is reviewed fully there are flaws found within them and a scandal is always part of their story. It’s refreshing then when you see a documentary about an actor that many people loved whether they knew them personally or only through their work. Gene Wilder is one of those actors. Netflix has a new documentary out about him and it shows you one thing in particular.

Remembering Gene Wilder is full of people that worked with him and were friends of him. Mel Brooks is the most prominent of those that speak about Gene, but Harry Connick Jr., Carol Kane, and a host of critics, producers, and directors speak fondly of the actor that has been deceased since 2016. Mr. Wilder was the victim of Alzheimer’s Disease and it took him earlier than anyone would have thought. The documentary shows why we all seemed to love this man and his work. The cool thing is that most of it is narrated by Gene Wilder. He recorded his memoirs in the early 2000s and they use those for Gene to tell his own story with the help of friends and family. You learn about his early days and his life in general and all he went through.

I really liked this documentary and it kind of helps you understand why you liked Gene. Remembering Gene Wilder is definitely a tribute to him, but it doesn’t feel like it would have shied away from anything controversial in his life. It shows him beyond Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, the film most people know him from starting when they were kids. It focuses on how perfectly he could handle comedy and be vulnerable yet show extreme emotions when called upon. How he loved to play off of other actors and add improvisations to movies that made them better. Hearing from so many in the industry about how great he was makes your own admiration for him feel validated. He never seemed to be miscast and owned every character he portrayed. You learn a few things about him you may not have known, but nothing too crazy. The one thing this documentary shows? He was real. As much as he lived in the “world of pure imagination” he was maybe the most genuine person to ever grace the industry. That’s why 7 years after he passed away and years before that not acting due to his medical condition we all care about him. When you hear about his last days on Earth you might just believe in magic. The documentary has been in the top 10 on Netflix for the last few weeks and I can see why. So, hold your breath, make a wish, and count to 3 and sit down and enjoy the story of a man that was what we all saw.