Before his death in 2004, Spalding Gray (pictured) had what most would call a very
interesting career. As an actor, he appeared in such diverse movies as
the 1984 Oscar-nominated film “The Killing Fields” and the 1978
non-Oscar-nominated (and adult) film “Maraschino Cherry.” He founded the
experiment theater company the Wooster Group (together with Willem
Dafoe) and even appeared on an early episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
But what Spalding Gray is best known for is sitting down at a table,
taking a sip of water and talking about himself. Maybe the world’s best
known monologist outside of Johnny Carson, Gray told stories of his own
life — about acting in Cambodia, about his mother’s depression (and
eventual suicide), about a novel he was trying to write and his
Christian Science upbringing and anything else that came to mind. It
sounds boring, but somehow, with nothing more than a microphone, a
notebook and that bottle of water, Gray made the images of his life come
to life in your head.
Fortunately for fans of people sitting at tables talking, several of
Gray’s monologues were captured on film. “Swimming to Cambodia” is the
best known, with Jonathan Demme directing the monologue about Gray’s
adventures filming “The Killing Fields,” but “Gray’s Anatomy” (about
health issues) and “Monster in a Box” (about his book) were released,
too. Now director Steven Soderbergh (who directed “Anatomy”) pays
tribute to his late collaborator with the (extremely) ironically named
documentary “And Everything is Going Fine,” which was just released on
DVD and Blu-ray by Criterion.
Because Gray was known for his monologues, Soderbergh structures “And
Everything is Going Fine” like one big monologue and skips the usual
elements of a documentary, such as other people, narration and any sort
of details about the subjects of life or death. Instead, he uses clips
from live performances, the aforementioned films and interviews with
Gray to create a rambling tapestry of the man’s life. It’s not always
compelling (Gray loves the sound of his own voice) and it leans toward
self-indulgence (ditto), but when it works, “And Everything is Going
Fine” is a fascinating peek into an offbeat mind.
The best parts come when Gray talks about his family — especially his
mom. Obviously a deeply troubled woman, she reacted with eerie calm when
a young Spalding ran into the room with serious burns from a radiator,
and that unwillingness to respond in a typical motherly fashion might
have sparked her son’s attention-getting career. Sure, I’m playing
armchair psychologist here, but it’s not exactly a huge leap and
besides, a documentary like this, with no narration or structure shaping
the story, practically dares you to try and analyze a guy like Gray.
Because it’s composed entirely of Gray talking, “And Everything is
Going Fine” never addresses his death — though it does manage to hint at
the grim finale. Gray was badly injured in a car accident in Ireland in
2002, and the final segments show him walking on leg braces after
surgery, obviously battered both physically and emotionally. You’re left
wondering how he’s going to recover, and the sad truth is he didn’t. In
2004, after being declared missing, his body was found in New York’s
East River. It’s believed he jumped off the Staten Island Ferry and
committed suicide, following in his mother’s fatal footsteps.
It’s a sad end to an interesting life, and the scenes of him with his
kids — obviously enjoying their presence a great deal — take on a bitter
tone when you know the way the story ended. At the very least, his
life’s work — speaking from a stage — was preserved in movies like this
one.
Contact Will Pfeifer at 815-961-5807 or wpfeifer@corp.gatehousemedia.com.
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