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'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me' is an enjoyably fawning documentary

( Unrated ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Stritch' is directed by Chiemi Karasawa.

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Sundance Selects/AP
Elaine Stritch stars in the documentary 'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me.'
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

At 87, Elaine Stritch, usually referred to as “Broadway legend Elaine Stritch,” is still going strong – sort of. Relocated to her hometown of Detroit after living more than half a century in New York, she is the subject of an enjoyably fawning documentary, “Elaine Stritch: Just Shoot Me,” directed by Chiemi Karasawa. Stritch’s show-biz career is not particularly well documented on film; clips from her Broadway successes (like “Company”) are necessarily skimpy. Mostly what we get here is Stritch playing to the hilt her role as a somewhat addled lioness in winter.

I’m not sure that anybody coming to this film to witness her for the first time would necessarily pledge eternal allegiance. Still, she’s sui generis, and in the theatre world, as in life (yes, there is an overlap), that counts for a lot. Grade: B (Unrated.)

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