‘Love, Gilda’ Trailer Released, Shows Today’s Hottest Stars Paying Tribute To ‘SNL’ Trailblazer
Love, Gilda, the new documentary that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival back in April, has released a trailer (see below) that shows some big names remembering the Saturday Night Live icon, reports Deadline. Among those paying tribute are Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Melissa McCarthy, who seem overwhelmed to be handling the funny woman’s original writings. The project was directed by Lisa D’Apolito and executive produced by longtime SNL writing partner and friend, Alan Zweibel, and his wife Robin. Zweibel, who also makes an appearance in the film, also penned the memoir Bunny, Bunny, about his time with the comedy legend.
The documentary was done with the permission of Radner’s estate, which provided “a collection of diaries, personal audio and videotapes documenting Radner’s childhood, her comedy career, her relationships and ultimately, her struggles with cancer,” reports Deadline. The never-before-seen footage should be a real treat for Radner’s legion of fans and admirers who miss her terribly since she passed away on May 20, 1989, at the age of 42.
Others who appear in the tribute include Anne Beatts, Chevy Chase, SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Laraine Newman, her brother Michael Radner, Maya Rudolph, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, as well as many others who played an important role in her life. It covers her career as well as her many challenges, including the eating disorder she battled.
Thrilled to announce that the documentary Robin and I executive produced, "Love, Gilda" has found a theatrical distributor. YAY!!! https://t.co/1gWAyJ7Xwy https://t.co/1gWAyJ7Xwy
— Alan Zweibel (@AlanZweibel) May 11, 2018
Magnolia Pictures acquired the North American rights to the film. CNN Films, which partnered with D’Apolito over a year ago, holds onto the North American broadcast rights to the film, as reported previously by Variety.
“Love, Gilda is a beautiful tribute to an incandescent spirit,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles. “Lisa D’Apolito has crafted an incredibly moving, inspirational look at a groundbreaking comedian.”
Hearing in Radner’s own words her thoughts on what she experienced is incredibly moving. As she said in the trailer, “From the time I was a kid, I loved to pretend… I guess being in the thick of it, I didn’t even realize what strides we were making.” Poehler seconded that by remarking how much of a trailblazer Radner was since there really wasn’t much out there for women at the time. Especially touching were the parts that show her with her love, her husband Gene Wilder, who helped her face and attempt to conquer so many of her fears and battles.
“I always felt I could do anything if people were laughing.”
The film is due to be released in theaters September 21.
