Then they interrupt themselves with talking-head interviews and snippets from one of Reynolds’ live shows. And then sometimes they’re making a hangout movie, with the camera following Fisher on a tour through her house, or lingering in a corner while she jokes around with friends, details The Verge.
In the aftermath of Fisher’s recent death at the age of 60 and her 84-year-old mother the following day, the documentary about the two stars is pleasantly cathartic.
When HBO execs decided to release the documentary immediately instead of waiting for its scheduled March debut, it was a savvy corporate move. It also feels, less cynically, like a gift to the duo’s fans, a last chance to cuddle up with Fisher and Reynolds in an intimate setting before moving on.
The documentary skims across a lot of historical material that will be familiar to anyone who read Fisher’s memoirs including the short, much-publicized marriage between Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, their even-more-publicized breakup when he left her for Elizabeth Taylor, Reynolds remarrying a shoe magnate who gambled away his fortune and hers.
Both women are show business professionals, perpetually aware of the camera, playing directly on them. The documentary reminds viewers of both women’s careers with montages of their greatest hits.