Have you ever actually thought to yourself…”Who makes the big-named movie stars so damn funny at all of those overly long award shows?”…Neither had I…until I was told that I should have at some point…by this film as a matter of fact. As it turns out, there is one man who is to blame for such “genius” moments in history as Ted Danson in black-face, Billy Crystal’s opening Oscar acts and…well…Robin Williams in general.
Bruce Vilanch, the man, the myth…who cares? Honestly…do we really care who this guy is or what “inspires” him? Well, I didn’t and after viewing this documentary I can honestly say that the urge to learn this information still doesn’t exist. Admittedly, there are some very humorous stories presented from time to time, but overall this is the entire film…just a spread of witty anecdotes as told through the filtered egos of the previously mentioned stars. In fact, there is really only one scene, which is tucked away at the very end of the film, where you actually get to see Vilanch as himself and it is by far the most interesting part of the film.
Overall, “Get Bruce” is not a terrible documentary, it is just a film that underachieves on numerous levels (although it’s 70 minute running time is a definite plus). Personally, a documentary about the insanity surrounding the preparation for the Oscars (which is apparently the films earliest incarnation) would have been much more involving than just an average fluff piece about a “Hollywood Phenom” as told by his friends. Ultimately, “Get Bruce” makes the hard-hitting “journalism” on shows like Access Hollywood seem more effective.
