Before there was The Mandalorian (2019-??), Andor (2022), The Book of Boba Fett (2021), or Ashoka (2023), before there was either a Prequel or Sequel Trilogy, there was only Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983), the brain-children of filmmaker George Lucas — and popular culture was never the same again. Audiences were taken to a galaxy far-far away, joining Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and others in their quest to prevent the Empire from taking control of everything, their small band of rebels being the only thing preventing that from happening. Their imaginations captured, a community formed of individuals across ages, races, and countries who banded together to say, “May the Force be with you, always.” For one such individual, comedian and actor Connor Ratliff, Star Wars is something that meant a great deal to him. So much so that, in 2014, he began putting on an improv show called “The George Lucas Talk Show” in which he played the character “retired filmmaker George Lucas” and would interview actual people about their work and any upcoming projects and is a program that continues on to this day. Curious about Ratliff and why he puts so much effort into the show, producer Ryan Jacobi (We Breathe Again) shifts into the director’s chair to explore the man and the phenomenon via the documentary I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story, which debuted at Slamdance Film Festival 2024.
Connor Raliff as Retired Filmmaker George Lucas in an episode of THE GEORGE LUCAS TALK SHOW as shown within docuemtnary I’M “GEORGE LUCAS”: A CONNOR RATLIFF STORY. Photo courtesy of Crawl Walk Run Productions.
As pointed out by the many talking-head interviews, Connor Ratliff is not necessarily a name you know, but you may know his work. His podcast Dead Eyes made national entertainment news when actor Tom Hanks (iykyk and if you don’t, this doc will teach you) sat down for an episode in March 2022, and he’s appeared in film and television as recently as Mean Girls (2024). Through his work at Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB), he’s performed alongside Zach Cherry (Severance), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), and Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live). He’s viewed by his peers as immensely talented, capable of bringing a level of commitment to an improv or traditional production unlike anyone else. So why George Lucas? And what about Ratliff’s fascination with Lucas makes Jacobi fascinated? More importantly, why should any of us be fascinated about any of the things that make them fascinated? The doc is a bit of a nesting doll in that regard, but one whose answer isn’t so mysterious, even if, to a large degree, Ratliff is.
In terms of execution, Jacobi follows a traditional route with the structure, using a timeline that starts in early 2019 as the mainline and using the various interviewees or conversations with Ratliff to jump to other points in time, at which point maybe we get a clip from his past work, a still photo, or some other piece of contextual information. Almost as though matching Ratliff’s seemingly perpetual energy, Jacobi keeps things moving without rushing a thing, generating a sense of momentum by sometimes editing the interviews as though the individual speakers are talking together to us. Not exactly finishing each other’s sentences, but picking up where the other leaves off. Because of this specific approach, one starts to feel like they’re not watching a traditional doc, but sitting in on a conversation where they discuss, examine, and roll around what they think makes their friend or colleague tick. One thing is certain, each one speaks of Ratliff with an assured reverence, even if their words are dipped in concern for his general well-being or success. Current sidekick and former “Arthur” Griffin Newman (The Tick; Disenchanted), for instance, tells us how he campaigned to take over as sidekick when the original left, feeling as though what Ratliff does with the talk show is something special and important.
L-R: Producer Patrick Cotnoir, actor Griffin Newman, and Connor Raliff in I’M “GEORGE LUCAS”: A CONNOR RATLIFF STORY. Photo courtesy of Crawl Walk Run Productions.
To be sure, an improv show wherein someone pretends to be George Lucas feels like something out of the old days of Comedy Central, like The Colbert Report or @Midnight (now on CBS as After Midnight), except we learn from the pieces we observe, as well as from those involved as either guest or organizer, that this isn’t some send-up in which this … mostly … beloved figure in popular culture is made fun of for its runtime. Instead, it’s quickly clear that Ratliff isn’t performing some kind of caricature, but inhabiting a version of the former Star Wars owner who continues celebrating entertainment culture by chatting with different people about their work. The difference is that everyone is aware that Ratliff is doing a bit, even if the bit doesn’t end while the show is running. Ratliff’s George Lucas is not a shill for all things Star Wars, he’s a fully-formed breathing person with their own opinions that are as closely-aligned with the actual person as an improv performance can allow. Even still, one is able to get a sense of who Ratliff is in these moments, as what he does and says as Lucas reveals a great deal about what the man playing the man thinks of Lucas and his contributions: the good, the bad, and the poorly-aged.
For the first 60 minutes or so of the doc, Jacobi speaks with Ratliff’s peers and friends, interviews Ratliff himself, and follows Ratliff when he’s already been doing the show once a month for five years. In the last 30 minutes, things get a bit more personal as the curtain to Ratliff’s past is pulled back and, while we don’t get definitive answers that make us go “that’s the thing that did it!”, we walk away with enough to identify, as one nerd does to another, a kindred spirit. Personally, if I didn’t already identify with Ratliff as someone who is passionate about a specific aspect of art (though mine is more to an art form as a whole than a narrow piece), this last section would clarify why his persistence, his quiet approach to work, and his diligence to do things that move him speak so much to me and, hopefully, other audiences. His failures, while not ever-present, are defining in a way that drive him to work on things that spark creativity within him and nothing else. In those 30 minutes, as we get a little bit more information on him as a person, to see him with his parents and how they (charmingly) engage each other, one starts to realize that if we all had a foundation of joy, of support, of general acceptance, then even when life punches you in the figurative dick, you can get back up to battle the Dark Side. This website, EoM, is an example of finding that kind of support where it’s ok to fail, it’s ok to only do something that brings joy, and to pursue that which brings me meaning.
Connor Raliff in I’M “GEORGE LUCAS”: A CONNOR RATLIFF STORY. Photo courtesy of Crawl Walk Run Productions.
That, to me, is what we learn about Ratliff and what Jacobi, perhaps, either sought to learn about Ratliff directly or himself – that what drives us shouldn’t be grind culture, shouldn’t be fame or fortune, but success as defined by personal satisfaction. Whether you’re watching the clips of Ratliff in the early days of the program, the live recordings Jacobi captured, or clips from the post-2020 shows, one immediately recognizes the satisfaction emanating within Ratliff. Will he always feel that way? Will “George Lucas” retire for a second time? Time will tell on that one, but, when that time comes, whatever Ratliff says in the doc, a prediction can be made that it’s far more likely that Ratliff will finally hang up his grey hair spray and Star Wars jacket only when putting them on is more work than pleasurable. May the force be with him … for as long as it needs to be.
Screened during Slamdance Film Festival 2024.
For more information, head to the official I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story Slamdance webpage or documentary website.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
This looks interesting.