Review of Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013) by Ker Malkin G — 06 Aug 2014

Watching this candid documentary just a few weeks after its subject matter -- the brash and tartly outspoken, wry and wisely observant, defiant, lively and leggy song-and-dance comedienne Elaine Stritch -- passed on (at the age of 89) has likely made portions of it all-the-more poignant and bittersweet as Ms.

Stritch found herself pondering old age and an unlikely retirement from an unforgiving industry, musing about forgotten lyrics and laughter and lamenting her failing health (she was a diabetic, a former smoker and a recovering alcoholic who only lately allowed herself a drink-a-day as a reward for living as long as she did).

Stritch believed herself to be blessed and lucky to have earned the success she achieved over the course of her long career on both stage and screen (both large and small) as most younger people aware of her today know her from her recurring role as Alec Baldwin's incorrigible mother on the television show '30 Rock'.

The doc follows Stritch as she preps for a song-and-dance Stephen Sondheim revue at NY's Carlyle Hotel as we see her strong work ethic push her to the brink as she encounters some health scares exposing her fragility reminding us that the larger-than-life subject at the heart of this documentary was merely human too.

A nice mix of the real and the staged (ahem with that muffin scene!), I am glad this was made and not put-off "a little later" as it most likely would have ended up being too late. Stritch was an immensely talented self-aware, inspiring hoot and she made people laugh - just as she will for years to come!