Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Watching this and seeing the true Love between Debbie & her children is heartwarming. It also gives you a slight insight into the old and new Hollywood lifestyle. Not such an easy life.

After seeing how much Carrie cared for her Mom, and worried about her declining health, I wonder if Carrie is actually the one who died of a broken heart. Those 2 were soul mates, and they left the word at almost the same time.

I thought it was so well done, and such a tribute to 2 lovely lades.

My heart goes out to Billie Lourd, who at age 24,lost her Mom & Grandmom, and Todd Fisher, who lost his Mom & his sister.

Nothing will bring them back, but this film will be such a great memory for their family now, and for generations to come.

Bright Lights is an illuminating look inside the homes and lives of two legends. I love Carrie Fisher cooking a soufflé for her mother Debbie Reynolds and then walking out Carrie's backdoor across their shared backyard and into her Debbie's back door to share a meal with mom. They share more than that with us. It's like sitting on their living room couch and going thru the family album, warts and all. How were they able to live thru all their tribulations? Maybe that they learned to talk about it and deal with it instead of letting if fester and burst inside. And there was laughter, and stories about other celebrities and other heartaches. But what I liked most was their humanity towards each other and that unsinkable spirit that kept them going until all energy was gone from them. What I liked least about it was these two wonderful women should have know the damage drugs, alcohol and cigarettes would do and avoided them. I heard Carrie drank up to 16 Cokes a day and I wonder if the Coke connection with her father had something to do with her addiction to sodas. And Debbie could have had someone to stop her from performing until she was ready to drop. I know it was her choice but they both could have been saved from themselves by their friends. Thank you ladies for all that you gave and shared and God Bless Todd now alone

"Bright Lights: Starring Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher" (2016 release; 95 min.) is a documentary about the complicated relationship between (mother) Debbie Reynold and (daughter) Carrie Fisher, with Carrie's brother Todd chipping in as well, and their dad, Eddie Fisher, looming in the background. As the movie opens, we see 8mm footage of the Fisher family as Debbie and Carrie comment. We then learn that they live right next to each other in a large compound in LA, with Carrie coming over frequently to her mom's to take care of her. When Debbie is getting ready to do a performance in Connecticut, Carrie expresses her concerns. "Inside her head she's the same person, but her body isn't", Carrie worries... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the 'plot' would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: it is important to note that Todd Fisher produced this, and was the main driving force behind it. It is of course also the only reason why we are given this astounding all-access, giving us a clear picture what the daily lives of these people actually look like. The documentary of course also goes back in time, reminding us of the "Hollywood royalty" that were Debbie and Eddie. There is a bunch of never before seen footage (from Todd's archives, presumably). There is also an incredible clip of Carrie singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at one of Debbie's shows when Carrie was 15 (in 1971). The 2010 footage of Debbie with her dad Eddie (only months before his passing away) is sad and even uncomfortable. Let's be clear: the movie makers did not dodge the hard stuff, including Carrie's drug addiction (discussed in detail), and other family issues. The last 15-20 minutes of the documentary (which wrapped shooting in early 2015) are of course the most touching, and poignant, given that Debbie and Carrie would pass away at the tail end of 2016 within 24 hrs. of each other.

I happened to stumble on this in the HBO on Demand library, and really didn't know what to expect. As it turns out, "Bright Lights" is a delight and candid look at these two legends of Hollywood. May they rest in peace.

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (2016)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

It's funny how events that happen before a movie's release can change the way you view it. A great example is THE CROW where Brandon Lee was killed during the production and this left a rather morbid atmosphere over an already dark movie. When you view BRIGHT LIGHTS, the documentary about the relationship between Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher, you can't help but know the tragic turn of events that happened before this aired on HBO. It's even more uncanny when one of the earliest moments in the film has Carrie asking her mom about her will.

With that said, this is an extremely good and very entertaining documentary that traces both ladies rise in Hollywood. We learn about Reynolds career, how she got involved in Eddie Fisher, the birth of their two children and of course what followed. With Fisher we learn about her relationship with her parents, her rise in STAR WARS and of course the drug addiction and depression. From here we also get to meet Todd Fisher and get some wonderful moments with him and, in one of the film's highlights, his poster collection, which he uses to tell his life story.

BRIGHT LIGHTS is certainly a film that fans of the there are going to enjoy as there are some terrific moments captured. There are some great stories told as well as quite a bit of archival footage showing Carrie and Todd when they were children. We also get to see inside the homes of the three, which is a great movie all by itself. Reynolds movie memorabilia collection is also looked at and discussed and we also get some footage of some of her final moments on a stage.

With that said, there's no question that there's a lingering sadness that surrounds the film. There are some uncanny moments that will certainly make you think to the events that happened towards the end of Carrie and Debbie's lives. In a weird way, what happened to Debbie is a lot more understandable once you see this film and see how close the two of them were.

This documentary was released ahead of schedule after the deaths of Carrie Fisher and of her mother Debbie Reynolds, a day later.

Bright Lights is an intimate portrait of two Hollywood legends. It is Reynolds who due to age and ill health was making a farewell as a performer. Her career spanned 70 years including Singin in the Rain.

Whereas Carrie Fisher is seen in this documentary trying to get in shape for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, if only she can keep of the Coke, the drink that is.

Debbie's son Todd Reynolds comes across as the most normal even though he managed to shoot himself in the leg as a kid. He talks about how for decades he and his mother wanted to get a museum going that would house all the Hollywood memorabilia that Debbie Reynolds collected. It included a chair once used by Elizabeth Taylor, a woman who married Eddie Fisher, the children's father.

Bright Lights was meant to be a tribute to Debbie Reynolds, she is seen incoherent at times like when she goes to Hollywood to collect a lifetime achievement award. When she travels in a casino she needs a mobility scooter.

However it also became a tribute to Carrie Fisher after her sudden death. She was always more open with the demons in her life, her bipolar and use of drugs. Her father's absenteeism from her life after he left the family for Elizabeth Taylor.

Carrie Fisher also likens her appearances in Star Wars conventions to lap dancing. A quick photo and autograph for cash, it was lucrative.

The documentary was a let down in its editing to show both of them slightly out of whack. Both mother and daughter lived nearby which meant Carrie Fisher would regularly visit to take care of her mother. However once scene was cunningly edited to imply Carrie was tasting her dog's food.

It was also too scattered with footage spanning some years, so you see Carrie talking to her father who had died in 2010.