For raising cancer awareness, ‘André’ is a giant
In theory, there’s nothing funny about colorectal cancer. That is, unless you’re a remarkable human being daring to laugh in the face of death. André Ricciardi is one such individual. To watch him and his family negotiate the roller-coaster of emotions associated with a terminal illness is profoundly moving yet sprinkled with quirky gallows humor. I simply cannot imagine a more spiritual and joyous journey of self-discovery than what he’s left behind in his self-effacing video blog, “André Is an Idiot.”
It’s inspiring to the max, but for me, it was also hugely cathartic having fought a similar, easily avoidable battle against Stage IV colon cancer. Like André, I stupidly procrastinated and ignored the medical establishment’s sound advice to schedule a colonoscopy at age 50. André waited until he was 52 and felt like an “Idiot.” So imagine how ignorant I felt waiting until I was 56. Hindsight, so to speak, can be a real kick in the butt, leaving you pondering numerous what-ifs while subjecting your body to the twin tortures of radiation and chemotherapy. If only …
I’ve been lucky, so far, having survived five duels with the Emperor of All Maladies. Not so, André. Mine was caught early enough to be eligible for surgery, but André’s cancer has already spread to his liver, leaving chemotherapy – some 500 hours of it – as his only option. It works at first, deviously raising hopes of remission. But he soon learns of the fickleness of an enemy prone to vicious repeat sneak attacks, mostly at the very moment you think you’ve won the war.
For me, those moments in the film were the hardest to watch. I can’t tell you how soul-crushing the news of a recurrence can be. The key is never giving up. And André is the epitome of a warrior, charging into battle time after time until cancer eventually robbed him of all his fight, a little more than three years after the hostilities commenced.
To his credit, director Tony Benna wisely spares us the gory details of how André died in favor of showing us how André lived, both before and after cancer. And what a life it was, void of convention and rife with creativity, including devising winning ad campaigns for Toyota and 20th Century Fox. Luck was his very best friend, especially when his wife, Janice, stumbled into his life in need of an occasional husband to extend her student visa.
They wed, lived together in L.A., yet maintained established relationships with their respective lovers. But a lark appearance on “The Newlywed Game” changed everything. Upon winning the show’s grand prize, they accidentally fell in love during a night of spontaneous celebratory sex. Two teenage daughters – Tallula and Delilah – later, the rest is history.
You believe him when he says that, without Janice and the girls, he would have been dead a lot sooner. And we witness Janice in action, driving him to appointments, picking up his meds and lending undying support. The ultimate “cancierge.”
Don’t, however, get the idea that “André Is an Idiot” dwells in the maudlin. It’s just the opposite: a true celebration of a life well-lived and an untimely death met with resilience and defiance. And Benna examines André’s existence not just from his subject’s perspective, but also those of Janice, the kids, André’s older brother, Nick, and André’s best friend, Lee Einhorn, with whom Andre’s travels on a cross-country road trip to New York City to devise a clever colon cancer awareness campaign.
The best parts, though, are the intimate moments when we’re privy to André’s deepest thoughts as he negotiates the seven stages of grief, with acceptance being the most stubborn. Watching him get there is truly a gift. But what I was most enamored with was André’s – literally – undying sense of humor. Like how he imagines the thick balls of curly hair he’s losing due to chemo evolving into stop-motion puppets with eyes, hands and feet. Or a hilarious sit-down with Tommy Chong, a dead ringer for André’s departed dad, serving as a credible substitute during some traditional father-son activities, such as playing catch or passing a bong.
Yes, there are copious amounts of cannabis consumed during production. As well there should be, given André’s free-spiritedness and hippie-dippy, naturalistic lifestyle. He will charm the pants off you by winning not just your empathy but also your heart. It is indeed sad, watching him gradually waste away, but he has a way of always putting you at ease when things look darkest. He may be an “idiot,” but for me, André is also very much a hero. RIP, compadre.
Movie review
André Is an Idiot
Rated: Not rated
Featuring: André, Janice, Tallula, Delilah and Nick Ricciardi
Director: Tony Benna
Runtime: 88 minutes
Where: In theaters now (limited)
Grade: A-
