A new documentary on Liza Minnelli reveals the people, power and problems behind her persona…
By Elio Iannacci
Liza Minnelli has layers. Lots of them. It’s the reason why the LGBT+ community—especially those who grew up in the 70s, 80s and 90s—treated her with the kind of reverence that Catholics save for Saints. Like many of those holy beings, Minnelli’s origin story is rife with trauma, pain, transformation and elation. Bruce David Klein’s new documentary, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story, captures so much of Liza’s complications and juxtapositions. This doc goes beyond the boring tropes placed on her for being Judy Garland’s first born daughter. It isn’t a saccharine love letter to a Hollywood heir who needs her own flowers. It also is not some cheap greatest hits promo flick backed by a record company. And, luckily for the viewer, it doesn’t present itself as some tacky exposé.

Many who have filmed Liza have either built on her brilliance (see her star turn in Bob Fosse’s Cabaret or Mitchell Hurwitz and Troy Miller for Arrested Development) or misunderstood her presence as merely cartoonish (Michael Patrick King for Sex and The City 2). Klein gets Liza. He understood that for the documentary to cook the way that it does, Liza and Liza alone, would need to feel like she’s in the director’s seat. This is best seen when the 78-year-old is getting interviewed on camera and tells the crew how to shoot her and light her and where to place the angle of the lens. Klein knew that her comfort level would bring the goods, and the quotes and the stories that are rarely heard.
The goods are gold. The doc explores her long-lasting relationship with gay collaborators such as fashion designer Haltson and songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb (the pair who wrote the music for Cabaret, Chicago, Funny Lady, Fosse and New York, New York) with such depth. The way it treats Liza’s connection with Ebb is especially considered, nuanced and complex (the commentary and archival footage of Liza and Fredd singing from the Kander and Ebb songbook is superb). The most moving parts of the movie aren’t revelations about her mom, Judy Garland, or her father, the great director/choreography Vincent Minnelli, or the 4 husbands (2 were gay). No, the highlight of this film is the spotlight on the brother-sister, mentor-mentee, fan-and-critic, co-worker-to-confidante relationship Liza had with Halston and Kander and Ebb. It excels by unravelling the strategy and artistry behind Liza’s high notes, stage glides, hip sways and jazz-hand-saturated stage appearances. The doc’s shining moments are also when the templates of all of her signature moves are traced to the Queer family of artists she so adored.

What is a glaring omission, however, is not including the backstories behind Results, an album Liza made with the Pet Shop Boys in 1989. Another huge gap is that the documentary doesn’t dive into the ways in which she’s managed to comeback in various decades (the 80s with Arthur, the 2000s for Arrested Development). Also: her personal life isn’t mined quite as thoughtfully as her career. For example, Liza was once described by music historian James Gavin as a “vulnerable phoenix who keeps rising from the ashes, no matter how hard she tries to destroy herself” yet the doc lacks the chutzpah to investigate such an astute claim. There are hints in the film where viewers can be clued into how Liza had periods in her life that were too unhinged to really dive into but these minutes glaze over the drama (and the drug and alcohol abuse).
The film does, however, reveal one important thing: Liza may be able to act the fool but she’s nobody’s fool. A striking part of this movie is the way it presents a collage of vintage media interviews. Luckily, for the viewer, Klein does this well. Shameful examples of how graceless, creepy journalists would treat her gives us a sharp look at the realities of being a woman who has been in the spotlight since she was a child.

All is not revealed in this documentary but it is but the antipasto to Liza’s recently-announced memoir, due for publication in 2026. The reason to see this documentary is clear—it is more than just a jewelry box of Minnelli’s memories. Instead, this cinematic work is filled with exquisite footage of Liza paying homage to her Queer collaborators and doing something most documentaries about Divas never dare to do: dole out a serious reclamation of music history.
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story was written, produced, and directed by: Bruce David Klein. The film is currently scheduled to screen at select theatres across Canada:
- January 31, 2025, and February 1, 2025: Hot Docs Cinema – Toronto (Tickets available)
- Starts January 31, 2025: Mayfair Theatre – Ottawa (Tickets soon)
- January 31, 2025: VIFF – Vancouver
- February 2, 2025: The Fox – Toronto
- February 8 to 11, 2025: Revue Theatre – Toronto (Tickets available)
POST A COMMENT