Film: “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” at IFC

First there was Sophie Tucker, “The Last of the Red Hot Mamas.” Then there was Judy Garland, who learned everything she knew from Sophie.

What was the next step in this evolutionary process? None other than Liza Minnelli, who is the subject of an extremely enjoyable documentary, “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.”

The director Bruce David Klein has assembled a trove of archival material— from films, television, newsreels and the like—that he has woven together with a number of original interviews and divided into chapters.

Narrated by Michael Feinstein, the documentary reveals that even the scion of two Hollywood legends didn’t have it quite so easy in life. When Judy Garland died, Liza was only 23, and didn’t quite know which way to turn—in life or in show business. The secret: finding friends and mentors who unselfishly helped her make the most of her innate talent.

These included her funny, pixie-ish godmother Kay Thompson, an entertainer who helped Liza develop a style distinct from her mother’s. Charles Aznavour, the French Frank Sinatra, who taught her song acting. Bob Fosse who taught her to dance. Halston who taught her to dress. Kander and Ebb even wrote “Cabaret” for her.

Yes, Liza was A-Number one, top of the heap. And what comes across in this film is that once she reached the pinnacle, she never looked down on anybody. Her unshakable loyalty to her friends, we learn, has continued to pay off in an unforgiving business like entertainment.

The documentary does not gloss over her troubles in life: such as her four unsuccessful marriages or her three miscarriages or her ill health which confined her to a wheelchair at the 2022 Oscars.

So one has to wonder: How does she get through it all and keep smiling? Liza jokes that she was “raised by MGM”, and MGM made you put a happy face on everything, including the pain of her mother’s death.

As an added bonus, Liza also sings! And not just any song but “The World Goes Round” from the under-appreciated Scorsese movie “New York, New York” which introduced the song that has become synonymous with 212.

Liza herself is on camera throughout: laughing, reminiscing, and thankfully looking reenergized. What comes through is that she’s taken all she’s learned in life and molded it into a personality that is truly her own. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”

Come to the Cabaret, old chums— at IFC, West 4th Street.

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