Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52106 in VHS
• Released on: 2000-12-05
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 73 minutes

From The New Yorker
Bruce Vilanch is a gag writer who, according to Nathan Lane, has given more stars "more lines than a Hollywood coke dealer." He's the man behind the quips at such events as the Oscars and other made-for-TV events. Bruce's clients include Billy, Whoopi, Robin, and Bette, all of whom appear in this seventy-two-minute documentary, speaking glowingly of their pal and engaging him in rowdy verbal sparring. Vilanch is a walking caricature comprised of shaggy hair and beard, colorful glasses, and a joke T-shirt; when Donny Osmond told him he looked like a Muppet, his comeback was a wonderfully dirty line involving Jim Henson's fist. He comes across as a very nice, amusing, generous fellow, but Andrew Kuehn's film feels more like an overgrown "Entertainment Tonight" segment than a full-fledged documentary. -Ken Marks
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

MOVIE BUFFS WILL LOVE THIS!
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!

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.

Great peek at the man behind the jokes
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.