The Life of Reilly

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

As the film opens, some people on the street are asked if they know who Charles Nelson Reilly is. Several of them say they've heard his name but don't really know him. Well, before seeing this film, I feel into that category. I didn't even realize until right before seeing the film that he has recently passed away.

The movie was very entertaining. I hadn't heard of the stage production, so I didn't know that the movie was a filming of his one man show. But I really enjoyed it. Charles Nelson Reilly was quite the character. He was funny and witty and never worried about making fun of himself. In the film, Charles mostly talked about his childhood and how he started out in the entertainment business. There were a lot of great stories and some inside jokes. I liked whenever he talked about a new person from his family or someone close to him that he would cast a famous person to play the part.

This film was a lot of fun and I really got to know who the real Charles Nelson Reilly was. It's sad that he's gone, but he lived a long life and the film seems to show that he enjoyed every bit of it. And he gave an excellent finale.