Bright Lights Starring Carrie Fisher & Debbie Reynolds
Directed By: Alexis Bloom & Fisher Stevens
Grade: A
I watched this documentary on Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds when it premiered not long after they passed and again more recently. (October 21st was Fisher’s birthday.) I had been familiar with their relationship and really enjoyed seeing this. I think with time it’s also less sad and really felt almost happy.
It does delve into Carrie’s childhood and Debbie’s failed second marriage (not something I knew anything about.) There’s some great home footage and pictures. And some really harrowing stuff when Fisher is specifically talking about her mental state. Also a cringe worthy video with Reynolds own mother.
A lot of the film seems fairly recent however and Reynolds does not appear that much as you can tell the time moving and her health failing. She’s still a consummate performer though for as long as she can be.
Maybe it’s just hindsight being 20/20 but to me Carrie didn’t look that well as the film progressed either. There’s another kind of cringe moment where she’s training for Star Wars and trying to lose the weight and her trainer’s taking away soda and she’s trying to light cigarettes.
As much as I wanted Leia for Star Wars (and I think they needed her) I almost have to wonder if things would have been different if she hadn’t been thrust back into this extent. Also the brother just kind of rubs me the wrong way.
Superficially the house and land they lived in is absolutely gorgeous and Carrie was an excellent singer.
As someone whose super close to my mother it’s nice to see a real mother and daughter relationship and knowing all the hard times they had with each other and over each other it’s especially nice to see how much they had learned to accept. How deep their bond really was through good and bad.
Recommend: Yes. If you like them, if you like Hollywood stories or even just mother and daughter/family bond stories. Like I said with distance it’s not as sad as it was.