ST. LOUIS — Nothing could stop Rita Moreno. Racism, stereotypical gestures, gender hurdles, egotistical movie stars, and mean directors tried and failed to get in her way. The actress found success on Broadway and won an Oscar-one that she didn't think would ever find its way into her hands-against all those odds.
The real pleasure behind "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It" is hearing all the good, bad, and ugly tales from the woman herself. While there are co-stars, friends, and collaborators here who stop in and praise the woman, nothing is better than hearing Moreno talk about the trials and tribulations of dating Marlon Brando. She doesn't hold back for a second and for the 90 minute documentary, that is pure gold.
There's a lot more to this documentary than just reliving the past. There's the amazing bookended feat of Moreno starring in not only the classic "West Side Story," but the new Steven Spielberg remake as well. There's the voice that Moreno found in civil rights movements such as abortion and female-empowerment during a time where it was most needed. As "Hamilton" legend Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it, Moreno proudly waved the flag of endurance, proving to so many that even a woman from Puerto Rico could make it in show business.
While her decorated past and recent work is well-documented-including the hit Netflix series she is on-Mariem Perez Riera's movie revolves around the lady's acceptance speech at an awards show two years ago, where she passed up the chance to wear the standard and wore a shirt sharing the film's title. A girl who decided to go for it, one who grew up into the woman who influenced so many others to chase their dreams down feverishly.
It was nowhere near easy for Moreno, who was harassed by countless directors and studio execs during her early days in the movies. In one fascinating retelling, Eva Longoria recalls the actress being asked to speak in many different accents for a particular scene, all the while using the same accent she had brought to the role. In a tired day and age where filmmakers turned blind eyes to anything that got in the middle of their shoot, Moreno took so much abuse. In her words, no one had done what she was attempting to do, so a path had to be paved. But at some point, you would think someone would simply give up and walk away. She did not. Thank goodness.
From "The Electric Company" to "West Side Story" to "One Day at a Time" to the new "West Side Story," Moreno endured and became a star. Before this documentary, I had little clue about her passionate yet heartbreaking relationship with Brando, or her tumultuous marriages and courtships that followed. The power of a doc is informing and grasping your attention while placing a feather in your cap for the next few days. This one did just that and it should appeal to anyone who has a dream they'd like to protect.
One of the more fascinating topics is brought up late: What if she hadn't gone through all that abuse and ran into all those roadblocks? Would she have turned out differently? Riera's film reaffirms the painful yet true fact that the hardships do shape who we are, even if they don't define our limits or write the end of the story. The endgame here is that a woman wanted to be a star, on the stage and on the screen, and nothing was going to stop her.
If you need to be lifted up and delivered a worthy message about the resilience of the human spirit, watch "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It."
