My grandfather
was an actor his entire life. From a lengthy list of stage shows that he was
involved in to a familiar filmography of TV shows and films, Victor Izay had a
successful career as a performer that carried on well into his 80s. Weeks
before his death at 90 years old, he was still reciting Shakespeare and Edgar
Allen Poe, and so I found this documentary about 87-year-old actress Elaine
Stritch to be remarkably familiar. Shoot
Me captures the spirit of a performer perfectly, especially in showing
struggles of the spotlight with the increased difficulty of aging. Elaine
Stritch is a unique personality, but my experience with my grandfather showed
me that there is also a great deal of universal truth in her individual
struggles.
Although Stritch
may be best known now for her scene-stealing performance playing Alec Baldwin’s
mother on the hit show “30 Rock,” most of her career was carried out onstage.
Broadway legend and Tony Award-winner, Stritch prepares and performs a new show
featuring only songs from Stephen Sondheim during the course of this
documentary, which highlights some of her struggles. Remembering the lyrics of
the songs is often difficult, and I know that this fear was a major reason that
my grandfather stopped taking new jobs later in his career. There is also a
great physical demand in the energy required for performing, and news of a
canceled show delights rather than disappoints Stritch at one point in the
process.
As well as the effort
put into her latest performances, Shoot Me gives an intimate look at some of
Stritch’s personal struggles as well. Diabetes is an every-day issue which must
be dealt with, affecting her mentally as much as physically. This is often made
more difficult by her self-proclaimed love of alcohol, returning to drinking
moderately after struggling with alcoholism for much of her life.
Interestingly, you can’t really separate Stritch’s medical issues from her
performing, because of how often the two inevitably collide with each other.
Thankfully, despite some somber moments of serious introspection about aging
and death, Shoot Me manages to capture the essence of Elaine Stritch’s zest for
life as a nice counter-balance.
The DVD release
includes even more of Stritch’s personality in a handful more deleted scenes,
as well as some behind-the-scenes footage from the photo shoot for the film’s
poster. Also included are outtakes from some of the interviews done by the many
stars she has worked with, including Baldwin, Hal Prince, George C. Wolfe,
Nathan Lane, Cherry Jones, Tina Fey, the late James Gandolfini, and John Turturro.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
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