André Is an Idiot Movie Review

​This film is stunning. It’s surreal watching a family lose their loved one, and a man lose his life. 

This is a Sundance award-winning documentary that introduced you to a lovely human being named André Riccardi, who is clever, wise, filled with love, life, and energy. This is his story.

André has great hair; one of his daughters points this out, not that she needs to, but she’s proud. One way used to tell his story is with cute little stop-motion André dolls. This gets crazy, but it can be amusing and very entertaining. In fact, every moment of this is entertaining and enjoyable. Outside of the actual reason it was made in the first place, you’ll find it delightful. I put it that way because if you don’t know what the story is about, you’d think you were watching a full-on comedy. Then André tells you he found out that he has colon cancer. He found out when it was already too late to do anything about it. Why is that? From his not listening to the doctors and going to get a simple colonoscopy within the timeframe that it’s suggested. That timeframe is now between 45 and 50 years of age.

His mother gets mad at him, telling him he got the one cancer that’s the easiest to prevent. So, he’s an idiot. If you haven’t had or don’t want to get a colonoscopy, he made this movie for you. He wants you to know it’s not about someone seeing your behind, because that’s not the point of a colonoscopy; it’s to save your life before it’s too late. Don’t think that if you see blood when you wife, that you have a hemorrhoid. It may just be that, but you need to know, so you don’t get the Big C.

For André, the discovery of a mass made him look at life differently. He was a very quirky guy who didn’t take certain things seriously. He just wanted to have fun. The kids loved him, and he loved them, and they had fun together. If he didn’t do something right, he would have plenty of time to do it again later, right? When the mass was discovered, it was already Stage 4. This meant there isn’t going to be a later. He was already dying. He, along with his wife Janice, had to start considering the fact that impending doom was lurking about. Don’t focus on immortality or live anxiously is what he wants to tell people watching this documentary: “learn from it.” He says FU to convention. He wants to die his way. He and his wife ate really well and he got into shape… I’ll let you discover why he ultimately wanted to be in good shape in case he were to pass.

His hair starts falling out. He sees his long strands of hair as fun, fuzzy characters for the film… which in its heartbreak, is rather comical. A lot about this film was made to be comical, so you don’t turn it off. That may not make sense to you right now, but see the film and it will. In case there’s none in yours and you think like he once did, there’s no cancer in his family, so he figured there was no reason to rush to get the colonoscopy. He discusses what probably gave it to him. Was it his cigarette smoking, or was it that his mother was breathing in DDT that was spread everywhere back in the day? “Thanks, mom.” He and his wife, hell, everyone was in denial. He’ll beat this thing. Or science can just create a new André.

It’s been three years since the diagnosis. It’s further into the film, and it gets tough to watch. You see a change in everyone. His appearance and voice have changed. His final journal entry is heard. He wasn’t afraid of dying; he was always afraid for those he was leaving behind. You’re not truly dead until no one speaks your name anymore. Hmmm… How long will that be for you? Get your colonoscopy before you’re at Stage 4, and it’s too late to do anything about it. See this movie and get everyone you know to do the same.