Brad Garrett characterization of Jackie Gleason was superb! It wasn't only that, while he didn't look exactly like Gleason, his mannerisms and movement allowed me to see Jackie Gleason. At times forgetting the actor playing him. It was the depth of the character portrayed by Garret in the subtle expression as well as the more obvious physical portrayal. Michael Chieffo played Ralph so I could see Art Carney. In a similar way, Kristen Dalton was Audrey Meadows.
This was better than the average TV biopic. The plot and the acting was excellent. The flashbacks were seamless. They helped us to understand his negative behavior. Jackie Gleason character was shown in an honest, less than flattering way. Yet it was not cruel. It showed why. He was still that little boy who was hurting, discounted by a drunk father. Even his mother who showed him love, was flawed by her own pain at the loss of a son and the actions of his father. Doubting himself; always trying to prove himself, in many ways he became just like his father. He caused the same kind of pain to his own wife and kids. It also showed his comic genius.
I do believe they should have at least alluded to his movie career and his great dramatic performances. Perhaps it was the limitations of a TV biopic. It missed out on rounding out his character and talent. The other flaw in the film was the ending. Its abrupt end. He looks back on the Honeymooners, remembering key lines, which seem to also speak to his personal life. The end. There was no transition to get to that scene. It came unexpectedly. There was little to say that part of his career was ending, until that moment. It left me a bit empty. The rest of the movie had led me to expect more.
This was better than the average TV biopic. The plot and the acting was excellent. The flashbacks were seamless. They helped us to understand his negative behavior. Jackie Gleason character was shown in an honest, less than flattering way. Yet it was not cruel. It showed why. He was still that little boy who was hurting, discounted by a drunk father. Even his mother who showed him love, was flawed by her own pain at the loss of a son and the actions of his father. Doubting himself; always trying to prove himself, in many ways he became just like his father. He caused the same kind of pain to his own wife and kids. It also showed his comic genius.
I do believe they should have at least alluded to his movie career and his great dramatic performances. Perhaps it was the limitations of a TV biopic. It missed out on rounding out his character and talent. The other flaw in the film was the ending. Its abrupt end. He looks back on the Honeymooners, remembering key lines, which seem to also speak to his personal life. The end. There was no transition to get to that scene. It came unexpectedly. There was little to say that part of his career was ending, until that moment. It left me a bit empty. The rest of the movie had led me to expect more.