Brad Garrett did an excellent job of portraying Gleason in this movie. I'll admit that this story held a very Poignant spot in my heart. Jackie Gleason not only grew up on Chauncey Street in Brooklyn in the WWI era, so did my Dad. And they actually LOOKED a lot alike, though they did not know each other.
Anyway, in the 50s and 60s Gleason was ever-present on our TV. He was not the Funniest guy alive, but you could tell where he came from, by the characters he invented. The Honeymooners' Brooklyn apartment was sparsely furnished - NO decorations, nothing on the walls. Gleason's irascible temper (probably born out of frustration with his Bus-driver job at $60.00 a week) belied his actual love for his wife, played by Audrey Meadows in the Honeymooners series. She was perfect for the role.
Garrett made up for his not-exactly-resemblance of Gleason, by imitating Gleason's voice and mannerisms to a T. The real-life Gleason was sort of a Bull in a china shop. People said he was hard to like. But that, if you got drunk with him, you'd be best buddies forever. His acquaintances and friends likened looking in his eyes to that of a pig's.
I recommend this movie to those (mostly older) viewers who lived through the 1950s and '60s, and to those who are curious about the man they only knew later in life, from the Burt Reynolds movies. Incidentally, Gleason WAS hailed as a very credible dramatic actor, in serious roles such as Minnesota Fats ("The Hustler"), also starring a YOUNG Paul Newman and as a deaf-mute Janitor in "Gigot". Gleason was, if nothing else, an entirely self-made man and a fascinating character.
Anyway, in the 50s and 60s Gleason was ever-present on our TV. He was not the Funniest guy alive, but you could tell where he came from, by the characters he invented. The Honeymooners' Brooklyn apartment was sparsely furnished - NO decorations, nothing on the walls. Gleason's irascible temper (probably born out of frustration with his Bus-driver job at $60.00 a week) belied his actual love for his wife, played by Audrey Meadows in the Honeymooners series. She was perfect for the role.
Garrett made up for his not-exactly-resemblance of Gleason, by imitating Gleason's voice and mannerisms to a T. The real-life Gleason was sort of a Bull in a china shop. People said he was hard to like. But that, if you got drunk with him, you'd be best buddies forever. His acquaintances and friends likened looking in his eyes to that of a pig's.
I recommend this movie to those (mostly older) viewers who lived through the 1950s and '60s, and to those who are curious about the man they only knew later in life, from the Burt Reynolds movies. Incidentally, Gleason WAS hailed as a very credible dramatic actor, in serious roles such as Minnesota Fats ("The Hustler"), also starring a YOUNG Paul Newman and as a deaf-mute Janitor in "Gigot". Gleason was, if nothing else, an entirely self-made man and a fascinating character.