Jami Gertz may not be the most noticed actress in Hollywood, but her portrayal of the talented legend, Gilda Radner, will get her noticed for sure. I already knew the whole story of Gilda since she captivated me (despite the fact that I was too young to remember her in her heyday) Who didn't Gilda captivate? The legend alone deserves a talent to play her, and that is exactly what it got. In this honest and touching story of Ms. Radner's life, Jami Gertz looks, sounds and acts not only like Gilda, but like the characters that Gilda portrayed on Saturday Night Live's classic early years. As well as Jami Gertz, the rest of the cast portray the other actors in such a way that you don't have to guess who it's supposed to be, it's obvious. There is no "Is that supposed to be Bill Murray?" instead there's, "Oh, look it's Bill Murray!" Gene Wilder is also portrayed perfectly, I found it almost eerie seeing this movie, because it was as if we were really watching them. However, like most Hollywood movies about peoples' lives there are some parts that are "stylized" for effect such as flashbacks, dreams etc... to add to the drama. The difference is in this case it is done well and even enhances the story telling rather than make it look silly. Besides the phenomenal acting, the other excellent aspect of this movie is that it captures the feeling of Gilda herself- despite tragedy, it is uplifting, funny and triumphant, the three things I always thought about her before this movie was ever made.
