| Elaine Stritch Courtesy of Smart Broad Films |
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
2013, 80 minutes
Not Rated
It isn’t often that a documentary on a celebrity shows its
subject as warts-and-all as Elaine
Stritch: Shoot Me does. Produced and
directed by Chiemi Karasawa, Shoot Me
is an in-depth look at Elaine Stritch, the foul-mouthed, hard-as-nails, actress
who, at 88, is still acting and is now just leaving New York City after over 65
years to return to her home state of Michigan.
Stritch, as shown in the film, has dated or acted with every great
actor, classic and contemporary, and has worked with multiple great
playwrights, directors, and composers.
This film follows her life at 86 going into 87 and shows her ups and
downs.
As a recovered alcoholic, Stritch now allows herself one
drink per day, as she figures that she can allow herself that luxury because of
her age. Stritch has had a hard
life. Her beloved husband died about 30
years ago, she is a recovering alcoholic, and is diabetic. However, none of this seems to have gotten the
better of Stritch as she says that she decided to get on with her life soon
after her husband died. This attitude
epitomizes Stritch’s enthusiasm for life and her need to keep moving forward.
The crafting of this documentary is impeccable, as Karasawa
fills the movie with an endless amount of fascinating footage and stills and
still manages to keep the length short and sweet so the film never wears out
its welcome. Karasawa should be
commended for not making just another celebratory documentary about a
celebrity. This film really gets to the
heart of who Stritch is and explores the essence of this woman. As I mentioned, this is a warts-and-all
documentary. It shows Stritch in the
hospital, suffering from her diabetes, but also performing on stage seeming as
youthful as ever. This is not a
superficial documentary.
Elaine Stritch: Shoot
Me is also a marvel to watch because it is so much fun. While it does have its dark moments, it is
hilarious and entertaining because of its fantastic subject. When Stritch is onscreen (most of the film),
she is magnetic. Though she may be old,
she is no less fresh and funny than she was years ago.
Overall, Elaine
Stritch: Shoot Me is a brilliant documentary that will surely be picked up
for distribution by the end of the festival.
This will be a huge crowd-pleaser.
4/4
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