The Life of Reilly
Release Date: November 9, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Film ThreatK.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
VarietyJoe 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 ReporterFrank 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
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Spellbinding. Read full review
75
New York PostLou 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
TV Guide MagazineMaitland 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 NewsElizabeth 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 ChronicleDavid Wiegand
Both revealing and evasive. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy 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
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
A tender tale of semi-triumph. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The actor holds the stage with his warm humor and emotionally charged anecdotes. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael 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
70
L.A. WeeklyAaron 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
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Charles Nelson Reilly is still alive, dammit, and boy does he have a story to tell. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)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
The New York TimesMatt 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
Washington PostAnn 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
Chicago ReaderJ.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 WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Reilly, in his 70s, takes us through his hilariously awful childhood: Eugene O'Neill as toxic high camp. Read full review
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