Watch Get Bruce! For Free
Get Bruce!
Affectionate tribute to Bruce Vilanch, who writes material for celebrities who make public appearances, from Oscar hosts and award recipients to Presidents. We meet his mom and see photos of his childhood; in Chicago, he writes for the Tribune and then heads West. Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Bette Midler talk with him and to the camera about working with Bruce, and we also watch Bruce help others prepare for Liz Taylor's 60th, Bill Clinton's 50th, and an AIDS awards banquet where the hirsute, rotund Vilanch lets his emotions show.
| Release : | 1999 |
| Rating : | 6.2 |
| Studio : | |
| Crew : | Cinematography, Director, |
| Cast : | Whoopi Goldberg Bette Midler Nathan Lane Lily Tomlin Bruce Vilanch |
| Genre : | Comedy Documentary |
Watch Trailer
Cast List
Reviews
Crappy film
Boring
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
I only saw this documentary because it was one of five films on a multi film disc that I got out of the bargain bin and this wasn't the film that I was going for. Bruce Vilanch is an openly gay comedian and writer. He writes for stars especially for the Oscar Awards ceremonies for hosts like Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg. We meet his mother and learn he is adopted. He wears crazy t-shirts and has an ugly beard. I don't think he's a horrible person. He is far more open than most people were long before it was fashionable to come out of the closet. While the documentary has plenty of faults and flaws, it's enjoyable and sometimes just pointless to honor somebody like Bruce Vilanch. When you want a good comedy writer to help with the show like the Oscars, you get Bruce Vilanch to write some jokes. He has written performance pieces for Bette Midler and has been friends for decades with legendary performers. It's interesting to see his past as writing for the Brady Bunch Variety Show in the 1970s after he left Chicago to get his start in Hollywood writing.
Anyone should be so lucky to have such a delightful biography made about himself. I wish they had had more about the writing process he goes through, but since the film skims over every aspect of his life, fair enough. I also wish they had interviewed a few more people, like Sigourney Weaver.
The whole theater laughed at this one. A peek at a comedy writer most people have never heard of. People who are incredible snobs won't like it because, after all, this guy writes jokes for the Oscars and popular entertainers.I happen to think Bette Middler is incredibly funny ... same for Robin Williams, etc. This guy works for these people and anyone who is not in the entertainment business will probably find it interesting to see how he does it, how he tailors his approach for each client, etc. But the payoff is the humor, watching the clips of his clients preparing material and doing it live.
The movie is very funny and I laughed a lot. Bruce is interesting enough and the people he is shown speaking to, are just as much fun. The Robin Williams part was especially enjoyable.
