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Life of Reilly, The
Civilian Pictures

Life of Reilly, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 72 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.2 out of 10
based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING:

Starring Charels Nelson Reilly

If, in 1940, you had a lobotomized aunt, an institutionalized father, and a racist mother, and were the only gay kid on the block, what do you think the odds would be that you'd end up a Tony winner, a staple of television, and a generational icon? Enter The Life of Reilly. The cliché goes that truth is stranger than fiction. In this case, it is also funnier and more heartbreaking. Charles Nelson Reilly, famous for his game show innuendos and X-Files guest appearances, takes us through his bizarre, star-studded, tragic, hilarious, and ultimately amazing life with a potent blend of tenderness and quick one-liners. The Life of Reilly is an adaptation of Mr. Reilly's acclaimed one-man show and was photographed for the screen during Mr. Reilly's final two performances of his play in North Hollywood, California. (Vagrant Films)


GENRE(S): Documentary  
WRITTEN BY: Charels Nelson Reilly
Paul Linke
 
DIRECTED BY: Frank L. Anderson
Barry Poltermann
 
RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: November 9, 2007 
RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80
Film Threat K.J. Doughton
Check out The Life of Reilly, for a real-life example of carpe diem energy too pure and unrefined to be silenced by discrimination or negative family vibes.
Read Full Review
80
Variety Joe Leydon
With equal measures of prickly wit, gleeful pride and bemused gratitude, Charles Nelson Reilly looks back at his life, and invites his audience to share the view, in this thoroughly engaging filmization of his one-man stage show.
Read Full Review
80
The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
Despite his obvious infirmities, Reilly infuses his performance with a great deal of energy -- frequently shouting his lines for emphasis -- and, of course, perfect comic timing. It's fortunate that we have this filmed record -- directed by Barry Poltermann and Frank Anderson -- of a memorable solo performance by a true show business original.
Read Full Review
75
Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
Director Barry Poltermann’s sweet little evocation of a show business career captures Reilly at “the twilight of an extraordinary life,” in Reilly’s words.
Read Full Review
75
The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
Spellbinding.
Read Full Review
75
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Best remembered as the most flamboyant of TV's original "Hollywood Squares" - which is really saying something on a panel that included Paul Lynde.
Read Full Review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
A tender tale of semi-triumph.
Read Full Review
75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
The actor holds the stage with his warm humor and emotionally charged anecdotes.
Read Full Review
75
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
By the time Reilly's shaggy life story winds down, it's hard not to wish he'd been your friend, too.
Read Full Review
75
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
If you think of Reilly as little more than a camp icon, you've got a lot to learn.
Read Full Review
75
San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand
Both revealing and evasive.
Read Full Review
75
Boston Globe Ty Burr
This charming, bittersweet 90-minute monologue consists of the actor telling tales of his childhood and early years, when he was an ugly duckling from an uglier family. The anecdotes are bruisingly funny and delivered with clarity and light mockery.
Read Full Review
70
Washington Post Ann Hornaday
The Life of Reilly pays fitting homage to a man who deserves to be remembered for much more than just trading double-entendres with Brett Somers on "The Match Game."
Read Full Review
70
New York Magazine David Edelstein
Occasionally you see a documentary and it hits you how much you don’t know about someone who was part of your mental landscape.
Read Full Review
70
LA Weekly Aaron Hillis
There are the stories of his racist mom, lobotomized aunt, and a TV exec who told him he’d never find work as a homosexual -- and the more charming tale of his Uta Hagen acting class, which yielded nothing but future A-listers (Steve McQueen, Jason Robards, Jack Lemmon and Anne Meara, to name a few).
Read Full Review
70
Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Charles Nelson Reilly is still alive, dammit, and boy does he have a story to tell.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz
Built around “Save It for the Stage,” a one-man stage show by Charles Nelson Reilly, a showbiz gadfly and Tony Award-winning theater director.
Read Full Review
70
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
It's a funny and frequently affecting reminiscence from a man whose TV antics obscured a long, respectable career as a stage actor and director.
Read Full Review
67
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Reilly, in his 70s, takes us through his hilariously awful childhood: Eugene O'Neill as toxic high camp.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Discuss this movie in our forums

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