“Love, Gilda” Documentary Affectionately Shows How Gilda Radner Had That Magical ‘It’ Quality, On and Off Stage
As mentioned in the headline, Gilda Radner, one of the first breakout stars of Saturday Night Live, undeniably had “it”.
For several decades now, an oft-remarked quality brought up in evaluating talent in Hollywood is the vaguely defined (perhaps intentionally so) notion of having “it”. “It” could be understood as an undeniable magnetism and charm that emanates from a person and their mere presence on stage and screen, but the biz powers that be like keeping such a thing shrouded in a bit of mystery.
The documentary Love, Gilda, directed by Lisa D’Apolito, showcases, via clips of her several TV performances and appearances, home video, and diary entries (lovingly read by modern day SNL alums including Amy Poehler, Cecily Strong, Maya Rudolph, and Bill Hader), just how much Gilda shone wherever she was no matter what she was going through. Even in a long, hard fought battle with cancer, you can see that Gilda’s spirit couldn’t be tamped down as she was one of the very first comedians to publicly joke about having cancer on TV.
For many, Love, Gilda might be a beautiful tear jerker portrait that will also have you laughing because, again, Gilda just had “it”.
Love, Gilda is set to hit select theaters this Friday, September 21st. See where it’s playing and get your tickets here.