Charles Grodin was a fascinating performer and public figure. While occasionally disarming his stoic presence for his audience, the actor always appeared to have more personality and tricks underneath his tough exterior.

In Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, documentarian James L. Freedman (Glickman) attempts to pinpoint the core of Grodin’s strengths, and his persistence to always be fair. The doc also follows his career as an actor, producer, director, talk show host, and activist. The archival footage is fantastic, and truly conveys Grodin’s admirable integrity. Adding complimentary perspectives are friends, filmmakers, family, and fans. Famous faces like Robert De Niro, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Marlo Thomas, Marc Maron, and Elaine May appear to pay their respects and tell stories about Grodin’s considerable and enigmatic qualities. While shot and edited with zero frills, these outsider perspectives uplift an otherwise paint-by-numbers feature-length biography.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie