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January 30, 2025BeBuilder #2602
January 30, 2025People can do crazy things when they know the end is coming. That’s not a privilege afforded to everyone, knowing that death is imminently possible, and it can change behaviors and personalities in extreme ways. For one man, however, the news of his stage four colon cancer diagnosis doesn’t prompt him to be any different but does inspire him to make a documentary reflecting back on many of his wild life decisions, preserving and sharing his legacy in a wondrous and unique way.
André Ricciardi is introduced to audiences by recounting the story of one of the most idiotic things he ever did, an embarrassing incident involving his penis from when he was thirteen, but then points out that an equally regrettable misstep was opting not to get a colonoscopy when his best friend asked him to go in with him. Now, he has cancer that wasn’t caught early enough, and he’s ready to reflect back on some of his favorite memories that have brought him to this moment. As he undergoes chemotherapy and meetings with doctors while his condition deteriorates, André comes close to laughing in the face of death, finding humor at every turn and remaining the same signature character he’s always been.
This film, which comes from first-time feature director Tony Benna, is an extraordinary celebration of life and death. While André did conceive of many fantastic advertising campaigns throughout his career, most audiences won’t be familiar with who he is. There’s more than enough content here to compensate for that, allowing the impossibly eccentric André to represent himself through his energetic and unfiltered words, and turning to his family and closest friends to offer some insight into this man with an exceptional life who has also chosen to greet death in the same way he’s always greeted life: with exuberance and laughter.
André is a fascinating and extremely watchable film subject. He talks about how he was uniquely prepared for chemotherapy because he woke up with a hangover for thirty years, and frequently jokes about his condition in a way that he admits makes those who don’t know him all that well quite uncomfortable. When his daughter gets in the car to head off to college, he offers a hug but she rejects it since it would be weird and uncharacteristic, and she gives him the middle finger as the car drives away. He recounts how he offered to marry his wife Janice so that she could get a green card, got to know her as they prepared heavily for The Newlywed Game as a way to prove their relationship was real, and then accidentally slept with her on the trip they won, creating a real relationship in the process. There are many more tales than that, and while some seem too ridiculous to be true, it’s clear that nothing is too much when it comes to André.
Not everyone – and maybe even no one – who watches this film will be able to adopt the incredibly upbeat and resilient perspective exhibited by its subject. It also doesn’t offer an unexpectedly happy ending, which is fitting since outliving a terminal diagnosis was never the point for André once he decided to make this film. Instead, two things are paramount: keeping a sense of humor and getting a colonoscopy on schedule. Sad as it may be, this is a wondrous opportunity for audiences everywhere to get to know the one-of-a-kind André, whose spirit will live forever thanks to this entirely enjoyable film that finds brightness in moments that should be full of gloom and allows him to share many last laughs with the world before it’s time for him to go.
Movie Rating: 8/10