STORYLINE: Unexpected, irreverent, and definitely heartfelt, ANDRÉ IS AN IDIOT is a wildly life-affirming film about death and about the strange clarity that arrives when time suddenly becomes finite. When André Ricciardi, a self-proclaimed “idiot” for skipping the colonoscopy that could have saved him, learns he is dying, he turns his final chapter into an experiment in radical honesty, humor, and curiosity. A lifelong iconoclast and ad-industry provocateur, André has never done anything the conventional way, and confronting mortality proves no different: he picks up a camera, cracks a joke, and begins to ask the biggest questions of his life with disarming candor. In a deeply collaborative partnership with director Tony Benna, André’s inner world – his stories, fears, philosophies, and absurdist imagination – is brought to life through fantastical stop-motion animation woven into vérité footage. These animated interludes illuminate the way André processes both joy and dread, transforming the film into a playful yet profound portrait of a man determined to face death as openly and ridiculously as he has lived. ANDRÉ IS AN IDIOT is ultimately a celebration of resilience, creative audacity, and the kind of fearless humor that refuses to let darkness have the last word. It invites audiences to rethink what “normal” looks like in the face of sickness and loss – and to consider that sometimes, the best way to survive life’s cruelties is simply to laugh at them. (IMDb)

    Death and dying  is a personal subject.  It can be uncomfortable, and awkward to discus.   It has seen its share of cinematic releases. Features like The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) take the subject head on.  Tuesday (2023) presents an interesting take on death, while This is Where I Leave You(2014) focuses its story on the grieving process.  Andre is an Idiot, is a recent documentary about one man’s struggles as he nears the end of his life.

    At the heart of the film is the question, how do you handle your own dying process?  Andre Richards, the subject of the documentary, made a film about it.  The feature shows off his humor, his love of life and for those around him, and his strength of character. All great traits in an individual.

    The film shows how its subject loves life, and how that love spread to those in his orbit.  The film is a true celebration and appreciation of life.  While it tackles a sensitive subject, and features moments of sorrow, it is a stand up and cheer kind of movie. 

   Andre is an Idiot is a unique film about death and the dying process, in that it is like a feel good kind if movie. It is one that reflects on the good ib life. 

    Until next time, I will see you at the movies!