User Reviews

I have mixed feelings about this one. Rita Moreno seems to have had and continues to have, it all. She admits that becoming a movie actress was ridiculously easy, she just showed up and LB Mayer said "you're hired!" based on her latina-tinged resemblance to Liz Taylor which she shrewdly cultivated in her getup for the interview with LBM.

But then of course nothing is going to be that easy, and like anyone, she had her struggles. The sexism she suffered is sad but happened to pretty much all female stars (and of course continues to, today, though thankfully to lesser degree, less blatant...It was the fifties, for heaven's sake!) When she talks of her several-year-affair with Brando, she gloats a bit saying, "he was the biggest star in the world and he loved...ME!" (Lest anyone miss the fact that he was a big star? But of course Brando had scads of women so, Moreno seems to have over-inflated opinion of her own important position in his life.) Moreno laments all the typecasting she suffered, always playing the Island Girl, Polynesian, Native American etc etc. I could not help thinking, "well I am sure there were some actual Polynesians and Native Americans who might have appreciated the opportunites that Moreno was given!" The Latina typecasting, OK I grant her that, though of course she IS latina. But yes, those were smallish roles for a very talented actress to be saddled with, in her early years. It seems to me, that she had been and continues to be a very lucky actress with her numerous awards to show for her fortuitious career.

Another moment of self importance, she mentions being there when MLK gave gus famous "I have a dream" speach. Moreno grinds in the fact that she was there, only several yards away from the great man when he gave his speech. LIke that is the most important thing, that she was there. Not what he said or what it meant to her but that she was there for a moment in history, yay me! She even mentions when she made a speech at a human rights event, how she loved all the attention that making that speech gave her.

And, when RM accepted any of her numerous awards, she always gave a self-absorbed speech, one of which was, along the lines of "I wish you out there could be me." like, nayah nyah, losers weepers?

But the most shocking example of self absorbed callousness is when her seeming beloved husband of many years dies and she is...relieved!! She immediately goes home and toasts his death with a large amount of wine and feels just great, like her life of selfishness can finally beging. And her late husband's faults? Loving her too much and not being fun spunky and spontaneous like she is.

Ok I had to Moreno-bash, because the woman has been clearly given, and gone and gotten herself her share of good things in life, she can survive an unknown amateur reviewer's gripes. I see that Rita was super spunky, adorable and yes, sometimes quite self effacing and vulnerable. Also a very talented actress and vivaciouls life-loving personality. So, I did enjoy getting to know this living legend.

Greetings again from the darkness. There she sits. Rita Moreno looks directly into the camera as she tells her own story. And what a story it is. She talks about the good times and bad. She recalls the challenges of being a Puerto Rican immigrant in a predominantly white industry. Documentarian Mariem Perez Riera understands there is no one who can tell Rita's story better than Ms. Moreno herself, yet knows the story becomes even more powerful with the insight of others.

We get the background on her childhood, and what stands out is Rita's admission that she was born to be a performer and danced professionally at age 6 (made her Broadway debut at age 13). It's heart-breaking to hear her talk of breaking into movies, stating, there's nobody "like me" up there. Forced to take "exotic" roles and speak with a heavy accent while wearing makeup "the color of mud", Rita initially took every role she could. The prestige projects finally started to come: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952), THE KING AND I (1956), and yes, WEST SIDE STORY (1961). Her role as Anita in the latter won her an Oscar, which shockingly, did not lead to more quality film roles.

It's stunning to find out that she went seven years without making a movie, but Rita is never shy about her personal life ... which includes being raped by her agent, and having a 7 year affair with Marlon Brando that resulted in an abortion and a suicide attempt. Rita is matter-of-fact about the low points, and positively glowing about the good stuff: her work and music on "The Electric Company" (with Morgan Freeman) earned her a Grammy, her stage performance in "The Ritz" won her a Tony, and "The Muppet Show" and "The Rockford Files" won her Emmys. If you are keeping score, that places Rita Moreno in rarified air - she's an EGOT.

Two of the film's producers, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Norman Lear also provide their own perspective, as do Rita's daughter, fellow EGOT Whoopi Goldberg, her WEST SIDE STORY co-star George Chikiris, Mitzi Gaynor, and other Latinos who pay their respects, including Eva Longoria, Gloria Estefan, and Hector Elizondo. This is a profile and tribute to a woman who turns 90 this year and is still hard at work. Some of her recent work includes playing a nun on "Oz", being a regular on "One Day at a Time", and an upcoming role in the Steven Spielberg remake of WEST SIDE STORY ... now that is what's called "Full Circle"!

The American Dream didn't come easy for Rita Moreno, but her commitment to her profession took her to the top not just an as EGOT, but also her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She's an energetic woman with amazing talent, and director Mariem Perez Riera includes some of Moreno's work on the Civil Rights Movement and political issues. The film is part of the American Masters series on PBS, and I'll leave you with this: "Hey, you guys!" ... watch this movie!

In theaters June 18, 2021.

IN BRIEF: A loving documentary about the EGOT winner.

JIM'S REVIEW: (RECOMMENDED) Rita Moreno has been in the biz for many decades and has broken many racial barriers and and achieved many well-earned accolades and this documentary, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It. This film is a candid look at her legendary life and status. Solidly directed by Mariem Pérez Rier, the film is a glowing tribute to this actress, perhaps too glowing. Filled with gossipy tidbits from mostly interviews by Ms. Moreno there are comments from some of her friends and co-stars such as Justina Machado, George Chakiris, Lin-Manual Miranda, Terrance McNally, and Hector Elizondo, plus devoted fans like Mitzi Gaynor, Eva Longoria, Gloria Estefan, Karen Olivo, Whoopi Goldberg, and Norman Lear. An all-star cast for an all-star.

Ms. Moreno's early family life is rarely on view as the film focuses primarily on her show biz accomplishments and the obstacles she faced throughout her long movie career. She continually discusses her need for fame and yearning for the spotlight, while bemoaning her B movie roles prior to her Oscar-winning role as Anita in West Side Story and her uphill climb after that win. Her personal life is a bit of a shamble until she finds some stability in a marriage and begins her own family later in her life. Political activism and her passion for liberal causes like the civil right movement in the 60's are also covered and exulted. But darker times come to her journey of self-worth and acceptance. Ms. Moreno also confesses to her sexual harassment encounters and date rape by her agent, her volatile 7 year romantic relationship with Marlon Brando, and her need for therapy thereafter. All insightful and sincere cinematic moments, but one wished there were more interest shown with longer clips of her musical performances to reinforce her true star power.

One troubling aside to this reviewer: the side-stepping of stereotyping in many of her earlier roles. Except for a small part in Singin' in the Rain, the actress bolstered and perpetuated the Latin spitfire bombshell or native girl on screen. Granted, those were the parts she was given, but with today's public outcry of racial profiling and her participation in playing other ethnicities during Hollywood's Golden Age, those choices are purposely downplayed in this film. At one point, she disparages her role as Tuptim in The King and I as a silly hapless victim, but she never takes accountability for her one-dimensional stereotypes early in her career that pathed the way for better and more significant roles. Ms. Moreno somehow avoids The Hattie McDonald backlash, an issue that rarely tarnished her reputation and never is honestly addressed here. (The actress does come full circle with her Tony-winning performance in The Ritz, playing an over-the-top third-rate caricature named Googie Gomez, which could have been a perfect segue to that accountability factor that the film avoids.)

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It remains a fascinating documentary. She seemed to outlive the stigma and shame of racial profiling and made her mark as a cultural icon and survivor in her later years. She has skillfully crafted a memorable career and her accomplishments are quite a remarkable legacy for a poor girl from Puerto Rico. The filmmakers do paint a loving, if biased, portrait of this talented woman amid some gaps in storytelling, but we never really get the entire picture of her struggles and defeats, only more and more emphasis on her many many successes. (GRADE: B)

Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It is the ultimate in-depth documentary about one of Hollywood's most trailblazing actors. This film is the absolute tear-jerking, hysterical, educational experience of the year. By the movie's end, you just want to go for it too.

Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It recounts the life story of critically acclaimed actress Rita Moreno. Rita, who is best known for her roles of Anita in West Side Story and Carmela in The Electric Company, stars in the documentary, along with stars like Whoopie Goldberg, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eva Longoria and more. The film features clips from a large variety of Rita's films throughout her career as well as from award shows, and photographs and footage from her personal life, including interviews with her friends and family.

This film shines a light on how incredible Rita is, and how human as she leads the way for Puerto Ricans and all Hispanics in the 1960s, stands up for women's rights and fights to be able to choose which roles she plays. She deals with being type-cast as an island or Hispanic character, and decides and turns down roles that would shove her into a tiny box. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly side of Rita's life, not just grazing at the surface. It shows how Rita struggled with hating her Hispanic roots, because it limited her as an actress. She tells how she was sexually abused, was forced into an abortion by her then-boyfriend Marlon Brando, and tried to commit suicide. The film shows exactly why Rita is such a beloved actress and person. Despite all she's been through, she never gives up and learned to value the woman she is. Rita grows into her own person throughout the movie, telling how everything that put her down at the time just made her stronger.

The moral of the film is to stay strong and keep fighting. Rita is not eighty-nine years old and one of 15 EGOT winners (acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards), just because she gave up. Being a Puerto Rican actress in New York and trying to find your way in the world wasn't as easy as Moreno makes it look. She has maintained her humbleness and blossomed into a modern woman who fights for human rights and looks great while doing it.

I give Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18, plus adults. It is available in theaters June 18, 2021. By Heather S., KIDS FIRST!

This is a 90-minute documentary on the long-lasting star who turns 90 this year. Clunky title but it gets explained toward the end of the show. The film documents Moreno's early years in Puerto Rico, arrival in New York City as a kid, and her eventual entry into films under the thumb of Louis B. Mayer.

Lots of clips from Moreno's early films going back to 1950. Most, but not all, of these early roles were of the "dusky maiden" type. She played all manner of Hispanics, Indians, Polynesians and anything else that required dark make-up. Much time is spent on WEST SIDE STORY and how it didn't make her a major film star. Interesting but not earth shaking.

One complaint is that none of the film clips were named and only a few were talked about. It often looked like one of those YouTube tributes.

Another complaint is the constant whining about the roles she was given and how she rarely got to play non-ethnic parts. This said while demanding that only Hispanics should play the major Hispanic roles in films like the remake of WEST SIDE STORY or IN THE HEIGHTS. You can't have it both ways.

Talented? Yes. Likable? Not so much.

Rita Moreno is such a great storyteller. The entire 90 minutes could have been her looking into the camera telling stories of her early days in Hollywood and I would have loved it. Some stories were hilarious, others heartbreaking but all were fascinating.

Some may be turned off by the political aspects of the documentary but their inclusion makes sense within the context of her life experience which informs the issues she has grown to care about. She has an important perspective to tell as someone who was a Latina immigrant and a woman in Hollywood during a time when those things were major limiting factors on what she could do.

Rita is not shy about sharing very personal experiences including her relationship with Marlon Brando and what her marriage was like with her late husband. She is clearly a person of extraordinary inner strength and confidence and it was a pleasure to get learn about her life.

This documentary shows us why we love Rita Moreno. The documentary is good tho again like Most celebrities it could of been better. I wish it would if showed us more of the 80's and 90's but what can you do.

This documentary is really interesting from a perspective of how Hollywood and films have changed when it comes to rolls for non-white actors. It's also really inspiring to hear her talk about her general and her outlook on life and how she's managed to get through very difficult times to arrive at a place where she's almost 90 and seems happier than ever!

A PBS documentary on the Puerto Rican icon & her 70 plus years in show business. W/the majority of the doc fixated on interviews w/Moreno, we hear about her life in Puerto Rico (the town of Humacao) & the trek she made w/her mother to New York (any Puerto Rican worth his salt living in the Northeast will recognize this narrative, hell my parents made the journey themselves in the early 60's) where she found herself in thrall w/performing & eventually getting a meeting w/a film studio exec, where she made herself look like Elizabeth Taylor, & garnered a contract & numerous roles where she'd always played the native, the ethnic type & any other role where a heavy accent was involved. Finally making some headway when she was cast in the King & I (due to a phone call from star Yul Brynner) & later her iconic win for Best Supporting Actress in 1961's West Side Story which was a milestone for her as an actress & for her people (even though after her win, she says didn't work for a seven year period). Working here & there in film & carrying on a 6 year love affair w/Marlon Brando (?) she found further acclaim on Broadway (winning a Tony for The Ritz) & on TV on for the Electric Company (winning a Emmy for a guest spot on The Rockford Files). Through it all, she has continued to work in multiple mediums (the One Day at a Time reboot on Netflix, starring as Vincent D'onofrio's mother on Law & Order: Criminal Intent) w/a capping off of her career when she'll appear in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake this December (playing the Pops character). Being a Puerto Rican working in media, you can't not see the tendrils of her influence in all things Latin so just for that...thank you.

Her story is inspiring and interesting and at times emotional/sad. Rita Moreno is still a firecracker of a woman even at her more mature age, and it's inspiring to see her living her life. One of the great actresses of her generation, and she continues to be an inspiration.

Rita Moreno presents her own bio doc. Dr. Christine Ford's testimony at the Kavanaugh hearings leads her into talking about her Hollywood experiences. There are the expected horrors of the casting couch. There is her epic love affair with Marlon Brando. They also go through many of her works with which I'm only half familiar. Calling out Hollywood's racism and sexual abuse is nothing new. It is always jarring to hear the true stories. This is her side of the story.

At one point Rita Moreno talks about how bad it was in Hollywood, and it's her first Hollywood party she's talking about so you know things will go downhill since they pretty much start downhill, despite the fact she'd already discussed going from rags to semi-riches from Puerto Rico to New York City...

What would be interesting is what the documentary rushes through: her climb to the top... But she complains so much there's simply no escaping from it...

And while speaking to the camera, she's not as sly and witty as she thinks... the same kind of famous person who's been surrounded by yes-people (who laugh at all your jokes) for many decades...

On the other hand, hearing Rita describe her Latino-struggle is fine compared to younger Spanish actresses comparing themselves to someone from the 1950's...

And the #MeToo Zeitgeist is very hard to escape from being it's pretty much everywhere, and here, Rita the victim plays right into the hands of New Hollywood by being one of the first Spanish victims... or so she says (ironically, between talking about how evil men flirt with her, she flirtatiously calls one male assistant "cutie")...

What's sad is this victimized narrative happens during the course of events that shaped her career as she's discussing famous movies, from The King and I to West Side Story, making the exciting things feel pretty average, even negative...

And if she can't celebrate her career (she's more proud of HERSELF than her talents, it seems), then why should we?

The proud public pronouncements by some attention-starved, out-of-the-limelight movie and entertainment types of having been "a victim" decades earlier, seems to be the current tried-and-true method for them to self-righteously re-enter and wallow in the now-popular sympathetic spotlight of victim-hood and self-pity these days. Every few weeks another new revelation of self-pity . . but they don't make a movie about it.

Seeing the clips of her amazing performances and accomplishments were entertaining and uplifting, but her constant theme of ethnic and female-centric poor-me self-pity (parts with accents, suicidal relationship with Brando, hate toward her long-time husband, her agent - that she kept, long ago movie moguls, etc.) should have been directed in private to her shrink, not an unsuspecting admission-paying audience.

It's ironic that with all her ego-centric, poor-me complaining of being "forced" to play only ethnic/accent and/or sexy parts, her most current chosen role is not only ethnic, but has an overly-heavy Hispanic accent, and one that she specifically requested the writers make . . . Sexier!?!

I have always thought Me. Moreno was one of the most beautiful, talented and versatile performers alive. I thought she was a trailblazer whose talent couldn't be ignored.

Now I see her as a complaining negative person who has nothing good to say about anyone, including her husband. She should be celebrating her staying power, her accolades and her own part in making the movie industry more diverse. Things have changed for the better. Why not say something good about that?

Then diatribes by performers complaining they aren't stars. They aren't Jimmy Smits either. Hollywood is about one thing: MONEY AND MARKETABILITY. Not everyone gets to be a star and that is for a multitude of reasons. You know, blonde actresses of the era didn't fare so well either.

Rita's story is compelling. The liberal slanted white and American hate angles are hard to stomach. If you want to be degraded as a white person, it's worth a look. Otherwise pass.

The positive aspects of this documentary were that it really reminded me (and others, I'm sure), of what an immense talent she is, as well as being so smart and attractive. She has had a career to be very proud of, and one that few will ever be able to duplicate.

The negative aspects of this documentary (as some others have already mentioned in this IMDb section), is the "woe is me", victim mentality regarding her career, particularly discussed by Gloria Estefan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eva Longoria, as well as a few Latina academics. While I have no doubt that there were many roadblocks and difficult times for Moreno to get to where she got, this happens to most people on their way to success...not just in Hollywood, but in many other career choices. I don't think Judy Garland had it made. Mira Sorvino's career crashed after she won her Oscar. They are both White. I could go on and on.

I would have never thought of her as a victim. She and her cohorts center her experiences around the fact that she was Hispanic and sexy. Even though she has attained all there is to be had in show business. As a Hispanic woman, I would never lament my path in life as if I never had control. What does this teach our hijas? My Dear, you have lived a life like no other, show a little finesse.