Remembering Gene Wilder is an entertaining documentary about the great actor and comedian Gene Wilder. It begins with his early childhood and how his mother’s illness shaped his comedy chops. (A physician told him to “keep her laughing”.) After acting on stage for a time, a chance meeting with Mel Brooks inspires him to cast Wilder in The Producers, cementing his legendary status.
Much of the film centers around Wilder’s professional accomplishments. The glimpses of the making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are particularly fun. Naturally, a lot of time is spent on his collaborations with Brooks and his films with Richard Pryor. His uneven tenure as a comedy director/star is also covered with films like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, The World’s Greatest Lover, and Haunted Honeymoon. The peeks into Wilder’s personal life are mostly limited to his romance with Gilda Radner, who sadly passed away from cancer a few years into their marriage. Then after her death, he finds love yet again.
Fans of Wilder will enjoy this for what it is. Those expecting something more than a superficial fluff piece will probably be disappointed. However, the flick is called Remembering Gene Wilder, not Exploring Gene Wilder. Because of that, the interviews are warm and fuzzy rather than deep and probing. As much as I liked the documentary, I can’t help but think that the filmmakers merely scratched the surface. While the film touches on the tragedies in his life, they don’t dwell on them long enough to really show what made Wilder tick.
Then again, I can’t really review the movie for what it SHOULD have been. I can only judge it on what it is. As such, Remembering Gene Wilder makes for an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Any self-respecting fan of the man should check it out, even if you’ll probably walk away wanting a bit more.
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