Film and nerdism are two great things that go great together. When the love of film and the love of being a nerd come together, they can create magic, and I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story, last year’s charming documentary directed by Ryan Jacobi, explores the portrait of ambition and the craziness of show business into something very profound and personal.
Buy I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff StoryIt tells the life of New York-based comedian/actor Connor Ratliff (originally from Missouri), known for his podcast Dead Eyes (which was named for when Tom Hanks said he had dead eyes after seeing his audition for the classic miniseries Band of Brothers), and his cult stage show The George Lucas Show, for which he played the legendary (and now retired) blockbuster filmmaker for ten years and invited big-name guests to shoot the shit and make fun of everything Lucas, including Star Wars. Despite the unexpected success, Connor began to wonder how much longer he can keep this up, especially due to the pandemic, as well as financial and career uncertainty.
In simple terms, this film is not as silly as people might think it is. It’s actually pretty deep about what it takes to be an artist and the blood, sweat, and tears one puts into doing so. You get the sense of Connor’s frustration as he makes a go of it, bringing his love of comedy, Star Wars, and film together.
I didn’t know about him, besides seeing him on Seth Meyer’s show, but after seeing this film, I fell in love with him. He seems really genuine, lovable, delightfully manic, and relatable. You always find something worthwhile about him to gravitate to. He is also quite hilarious and natural, and the film really shows that. I found myself grinning from ear to ear with it. The footage of his parents being really supportive of him also add to that. If you have heard of him and the show, I’m sure you’ll find this really entertaining and endearing as much as I did. It gives the relevance of comedy so much more oomph.
Kino’s two-disc special edition includes 30 audio commentaries (whew!); deleted and extended scenes; extended interviews; Alamo Drafthouse Introduction; Q&A with comedian Paul Scheer; and 2019 Star Wars Day Full Show with guests John Hodgman, Marina Cockenberg, Ethan Slater, and Julie Cohen. There is also a booklet with a message from Jacobi and digital access to hours of additional bonus features that couldn’t fit on the discs.
