Customer Reviews

Get Bruce [VHS]

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Who writes Billy Crystal's or Whoopie's lines at the Oscars? Bruce does. A documentary portrait of the comedy writer Bruce Vilanch (of Paterson NJ), who many may know as the wild haired comic on the New Hollywood Squares, who is actually Hollywood's top comedy writer. Stars Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Nathan Lane, Roseanne, Carol Burnett, Florence, Henderson, Rosie O'Donnell, Shirley MacLaine, Paul Reiser, and Sigourney Weaver to name just a few. Bruce Vilanch has written the scripts for the last eight Oscars telecasts, the Emmy's, Tony's, Comic Relief, the Grammy's, etc. As the say, "Bruce has had his fingers in more pilots than a staff physician at Continental Airlines. Formerly a feature writer for the Chicago Tribune, he can now be found once a month in the pages of the Advocate as author of a column entitled,"Notes From A Blond". He has also written for and organized dozens of benefits for gay or Jewish (or Jewish and gay) issues or groups. Music by Michael Feinstein.

Get Bruce is a documentary on a writer for all kinds of celebrities for events such as the Oscars and Comic Relief. As a huge movie fan, I really enjoyed watching Bruce and all the movie stars, comedians, and other celebs all talk into the camera about how great bruce is..or how he is to work with and what kind of work he does. His mother talks too, and she's pretty funny. This whole documentary is a must see for fans of hollywood and beyond. You may recognize bruce from Hollywood Squares..the new one. Watch it , you won't be disappointed.(if you are a documentary fan) GO GET BRUCE!

I knew of Vilanch as a comedy writer, but I had no idea all this guy was into and how much respect he has in the industry. Parts of this DVD are laugh out loud hilarious and frankly Robin Williams has NEVER been funnier and that really is saying something, his bit is totally extemporaneous and it is classic Robin Williams, it alone is worth the price of this DVD, but it really is Vilanch that shines here, he is so likeable and you can tell he loves what he does and frankly you really can't blame him.

Though he's now fairly widely known through his appearances on the New Hollywood Squares, Bruce Vilanche's work has been heard (and laughed at) by millions of people worldwide. As a joke writer for artists (Bette, Whoopi, Billy, Robin), events (Academy Awards), and in his earlier days, TV (Brady Bunch Variety Show, Donny & Marie), Vilanche is one of a few select go-to guys in Hollywood.

The documentary mixes interviews with his clients, footage of his featured work, snippets of Vilanche himself speaking at awards ceremoies (he won an Emmy for his Oscar work) and rare performances, and, most interestingly, some work sessions. The last is the most interesting, as it provides some insight as to how Vilanche goes about creating his jokes. His description of writing for different individuals - creating jokes and then voicing them appropriately, is fascinating. The peek into the working process of different comedians (Midler, Crystal, Williams) is revealing both of Vilanche and his clients.

What really makes this film work is that Vilanche is as interesting as the stars he writes for - something that cannot be said of all comedy writers.

It's good, but not worth 100 bucks. While it is a very well done documentary- that's what it is, a documentary. It is not a hilarious comedy. It merely documents how certain stars met Bruce and how he develops his creative ideas for comedy. Rent it before you buy it. Be sure you know what you are paying for.

Millions of people know of Bruce Villanche from his appearances on the "Hollywood Squares" with his bushy hair, glasses, and T-shirt collection. America has been laughing at his work for many years, though. He's written everything from TV shows (the Academy Awards and "The Brady Bunch Variety Hou,r" just to name a few) to the speeches and jokes for today's hottest stars, including Bette Midler, Whoppi Goldberg and Billy Crystal. This documentary takes you into his world, showing you his creative process in snippets of his own stand-up, interviews with some of his clients, and scenes from TV shows and ceremonies.

The DVD has no extras, but it's still a great film showcasing one of the funniest men in America.

This is not what I expected. I thought I was ordering a Moive - what I ended up with is a documentary. It was my fault - I should have made sure what i WAS ORDERING.