Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. They were Hollywood royalty, probably the most famous mother and daughter in cinematic history. Here, in the new documentary, we see that they were more than just a mother-daughter relationship. They were best friends, neighbors (literally), co-performers, legends. Bright Lights, directed by Alexis Bloom and director and actor Fisher Stevens (who won an Oscar for The Cove), gives us a glimpse of their bond, just several weeks after both of their tragic deaths.

"A woman who alleges to be my mother," Fisher tells us, lives right next door to her. Their banter as they eat a small meal together is just about perfect, as it is throughout most of the documentary. There's so many important figures in their saga who are alluded to--Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Simon, all the Hollywood memorabilia Reynolds collected over the years. There's mentions of rehab, predictably. Most notable is that dog of Fisher's--Gary, the French bulldog with the gigantic tongue, the dog who was by her side when she suffered a heart attack on a plane from London to Los Angeles. And any documentary that features footage of Singin' in the Rain and Star Wars is worth a watch. But this movie is about them and their love for one another.

Reynolds is called a "tsu-mommy", a woman incapable of slowing down and retiring, although she still uses flip phones. Reynolds says she swill perform until she dies, then she will be stuffed and put in a museum. "Age is horrible for all of us," insists Fisher, "but she falls from a greater height." The term "aged well" is a bit offensive, in my mind, and it's shameful, I think, that Lucasfilm still insisted on Fisher losing weight before the current Star Wars films. That being said, Fisher is almost always seen smoking a cigarette and drinking a Coke, both of which likely account for her lower voice in recent years. Reynolds, however, shows up to parties and pretends that nothing has changed.

There often are jokes, but not particularly good jokes--Debbie's are pretty scripted ("I should have married Burt Reynolds. I wouldn't have to change my name."). Postcards from the Edge, the 1990 film with a screenplay Fisher wrote based on her novel of the same name, is a humorous semi-autobiographical account of Fisher (whose screen persona is played by Meryl Streep) and her mother (played by Shirley MacLaine), but it's nowhere near as funny as Fisher was in real life. She was down-right hysterical and beyond witty. That humor is seen here. Fisher mentions that she is heading to London to film "Star Wars 7...ditwo." And she was also quite the singer, as well. Archival footage of Carrie belting out a decent version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (by her future ex-husband, of course) as a teenager is a particular delight.

She goes to fan conventions, and like many stars of many different franchises, she seemed to have a complicated relationship with all the fan frenzy, but in the documentary she appears happy with her many fans. "She's me, and I'm her." The "she" of course is General Leia Organa, one of the most famous characters in film history. Fisher made it known several times her objections to that famous or infamous metal bikini she wore in Return of the Jedi, but she also had a sense of humor about it all. She told Terry Gross in an interview only about a month before her death that one of her favorite things about Comic-Con conventions is all the men in metal bikinis, and not thin or fit men either. "Kind of a before-and-after thing," she told Gross. "This is way after. Not only is Princess Leia fatter, she's a guy."

Todd Fisher, daughter of Carrie and son of Debbie, insists during the film on highlighting the music career of their father, Eddie Fisher, a man who had more consecutive hits than Elvis and the Beatles combined. There's footage of Carrie chatting with her father shortly before his death. It's a noble effort, but the movie is all about these two wonderful women. There's a trippy scene of Fisher in the late 80s (possibly on drugs) singing Christmas songs at the Great Wall of China. Debbie chokes up as she talks about her daughter's voice. Carrie breaks down as it appears her mother might be too frail to attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2014 to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. (Reynolds was also honored by the Academy Awards in 2015 with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.) They are all notable moments.

As if 2016 wasn't a cruel enough year, just days before it ended Carrie Fisher passed away after earlier suffering from a heart attack. Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the very next day. It was a horrible way to end a horrible year. Perhaps 2017 will be a bit better. Starting off the year by watching this documentary might help make it so.

Photo by Gage Skidmore.