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Movie Review: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It

Mike Tyrkus

As far as screen legends go, there aren’t too many that are as understandably revered and beloved as Rita Moreno. The exquisite documentary, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, deftly explores the appeal and charisma of an actor whose career spans seven decades and never ceases to amaze and entertain.

The film follows Moreno throughout her storied career, as she emerges from her humble beginnings as an immigrant from Puerto Rico to become one of the more celebrated actors of the last seventy plus years, eventually earning the rare distinction of being an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) Award winner. The film follows a linear path as it begins with Moreno recalling an idyllic life on a Puerto Rican farm before a five-year-old Rita emigrated to America with her mother.

After studying dance and several performances on Broadway, Moreno caught a break when she was cast as any ethnic minority needed by the studio in whatever film they were making (be it a Native American, Polynesian, or Egyptian). Then, in 1961, she became the first Latina actress to win an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story. Despite this success, she continued to suffer through roles wherein she was cast as stereotypical ethnic minorities before finding a career renaissance of sorts through her work on television in shows like Oz and the One Day at a Time reboot as well as the upcoming remake of West Side Story.

Rita Moreno in “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.” (Courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

The film also explores the struggles that Moreno overcame to become the resilient star she is today. There is an examination of the well-documented, and somewhat disturbing, romantic relationship she had with Marlon Brando as well as the various, and often distressing episodes of systemic racism and abuse that she endured throughout her career. Still, her resolve and talent helped Moreno to overcome all of this adversity as she continued to break barriers and, later in her career, work as an activist for a variety of political causes.

While Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, is a decidedly positive piece, it is by no means a simple highlight reel of the celebrated actresses career. The mood of the entire film never feels like a nostalgic look back at a once great artist, but more of a promise that the best is yet to come.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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