LilyWai Often documentary films on famous Hollywood 'stars' end up being too polished and show only the sanitized versions of the subject or go the other way and end up being a extended tabloid view - raw and endlessly depressing. This was a beautifully balanced and intimate portrayal of the love, friendship and intertwined lives of two people living in one compound but coming from two very different generations - Carrie with her hilarious observational honesty about herself and her experiences and Debbie, with her permanent smile and old Hollywood, studio drilled mantra of 'never let the facade fail'. Yet these two are bonded by their experiences and their true love and respect for each other and the battles they've each endured throughout their lifetimes.Seen in light of recent events with the sudden death of Carrie Fisher and then her mother just a day later I now understood why Debbie could not stay on earth without her daughter (& I'm sure the same should the roles have been reversed) they lived for each other, worried about each other and took care of each other. All the bitterness and anger that I'm sure once existed had long since faded away and all that was left was a lifetime of memories and love, great love.

arfdawg-1 The Plot.Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds star in a tender portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity. From the red carpet to the back alleys behind it, the documentary is about the bonds of family love, which are beautifully bitter-sweet.This is a horrible and depressing movie that shows you how despicable Hollywood really is.Debbie is clearly dying but wont give it up.Fischer clearly has had minor strokes and smokes and drinks coke thru the entire thing.All the clips of childhood just add to the macabre setting.It's sad not a good send off at all.It demonstrates how disgusting Hollywood is.

MisterWhiplash As some other critics have noted, it's sort of like Grey Gardens lite, but I have to wonder if any/everyone who wrote about this following it's New York Film Festival premiere (or any other fest screenings) have to revisit their opinions following the final sucker-punch celebrity deaths of Fisher followed by Reynolds in 2016. I'm of two minds on this: yes, there may not be too much different in seeing these natural-born-entertainer-Characters (though Reynolds more-so, they can't seem to help breaking out into song, and usually they both know the words), and no, there is a sadder pall on everything knowing they're gone and, as the Rolling Stones sang, 'This could be the last time, maybe the last time, I don't know,' and we do know for Reynolds it is and for Fisher (who mentions she's off to shoot Force Awakens and is shooting it during the filming of the doc) it is too.In a way though it's about a mother and daughter, the through-line is really about Reynolds and her long, winding goodbye to entertainment; she does a concert to a large sports-style auditorium, and while she's not singing badly one can see the lights are trying to hide that the auditorium is not full and how she can barely get down the stairs from the stage. But she can't stop/won't stop, so who knows if her "final" show in Las Vegas, where she requests Carrie to come on stage to sing (with, as Carrie shows, awkwardly scripted banter for them to do). The question through much of what is a scattered-in-structure document of two people at a particular time looking back at things is: how do you ever end being "you", whether that's Debbie Reynolds or Carrie Fisher? There are some scenes that are extraneous, if I can step back and look at it critically as a documentary. Even at 93 minutes it may be too long. But you can't escape how meaningful this is now seeing it with the context of knowing this is a tribute to these wonderful people as much as it's a document of their relationship. It's both, really, and you know for all the pain that they've caused each other, with Postcards from the Edge as a prime example of their contentious moments, there's real love and friendship. Not to mention there's brother/son Todd Fisher, the brother who may be *weirder* in some ways (with his movie posters chronicling how his parents started out and then came together and split apart, and his Knight Rider car which is simply WTF), on the sidelines, part of it but too "normal" as a nice little boy who grew up around all this.So if you like or even have some passing admiration for Reynolds, who seems like a born entertainer but really did have to work at it (being naturally beautiful helped too, but being molded by the MGM studio system was the key - as someone here says, maybe Carrie, she couldn't help but be 'on' all the time), and Fisher, who struggled for years with bi-polar disorder and a host of other addictions and ailments to still be around for her, and the mother for her daughter. Along the way there are nice 'cameos' from Griffin Dunne (who introduces himself at the foot of Fisher's stairs yelling, "hey, f***face" with affection), and Barbara Streisand on the TV.PS: No, really, a Knight Rider car? Really? PPS: The footage of Fisher at a convention doesn't quite sync up to what she wrote about in her book, The Princess Diarist, but why carp?

hyslbr Why does no one mention this fine documentary of both Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, that played on HBO and AFI 2016. I found it so moving and informative about their very close relationship. I'm hoping the film will be distributed widely following Carrie's premature death. What's wrong with those obit writers who don't seem to be aware of this film? An important revelation to this viewer was the musical talent Carrie exhibited. Her singing voice reflected the gifts she inherited from both Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. There may have been downsides to being the child of such celebrated parents, but she was certainly up to the task. In addition, her wry observations of herself and others was right on. Kitty A postscript following the death of Debbie Reynolds. Bright Lights gives an answer to why the symbiosis of this relationship could lead to the second death.