Featured DVD Review: Love, Gilda

December 31, 2018

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Love, Gilda

2018 was a great year for Documentaries with several that earned more than $1 million at the box office. Love, Gilda didn’t get to that milestone, although it was playing on VOD at the time. Is it as good as some of the top box office draws in the genre? Or does it have a more limited target audience.

The Movie

Love, Gilda is a biographical documentary about Gilda Radner. Despite Gilda Radner dying nearly 30 years ago, much of the film is told by her, as she filmed so many home movies throughout her life, wrote in diaries, and in the years before her death, recorded many audio tapes. There are also interviews with contemporaries who worked with her, as well as comedians from today who were inspired by her, some of whom read out segments in her diaries. The film starts with her childhood in Detroit, moving to Toronto with her boyfriend, her early career in entertainment, her rise to fame, and eventually her illness and death. It is not groundbreaking in its format, but it doesn’t need to be to have an emotional impact.

This film hurt. While I was writing the first draft of this review, I got into a discussion on Twitter about TV shows we can’t enjoy anymore, because we found out the creators are just awful people. There are so many movies and TV shows like that, but in an attempt to be more positive, someone posted, “At least we still have The Young Ones.” That made me happy, until someone posted “I miss Rik.” Rik Mayall was one of the stars and creators of that show and someone who passed away in 2014. He’s also on a list of people that include Freddie Mercury, Gord Downie, and others. They are all people who, when I’m reminded they are dead, I get irrationally sad. Gilda Radner has to be added to that list. While watching this film, my emotional state would swing wildly from being cheered up by Gilda Radner’s enthusiasm and kindness to being bummed out whenever I remembered she’s dead. Maybe if I watched the movie a few more times, I could get through it without tearing up at the more emotional parts, but I kind of doubt it.

The film’s biggest selling point for me is the emotional impact it will have on most audiences, but it is not the only one. You will learn more about Gilda Radner, her childhood, and more and you do truly get a better sense of what she was like as a person. While she was a very outwardly cheerful person, she had her own troubles with eating disorders and depression. I think this will be very helpful to many people. If someone so outwardly cheerful can be dealing with issues like that, then it could help people suffering from these issues deal with them.

The Extras

The extras on the DVD are substantial with 13 additional interviews with a total running time of 38 minutes, 10 minutes of Gilda Radner’s home movies, and a gallery.

The Verdict

Love, Gilda packs a much deeper emotional punch than I was expecting and the DVD has plenty of extras. It might not be the biggest documentary release of the year, but it is certainly not one you want to miss.

Filed under: Video Review, Love, Gilda, Rik Mayall, Gilda Radner