She's The Best Thing In It

Audiences will be overjoyed at She's The Best Thing In It, whose title refers to a joke Mary Louise Wilson has been waiting a lifetime to tell. As a 40-year veteran of stage and screen, the character actress has left New York for Tulane University at the age of 78 to teach drama to aspiring artists for the first time in her life—and this light-hearted documentary is right there with her From her early days as the weird kid in class to performances with her sister in a retirement home, the Tony winner has always loved to be on stage. The drive to do whatever it takes to get a laugh, however, can lead to depression and alienation, as the effort of becoming so many characters takes its emotional toll. Still, we find the ultimate takeaway in Wilson's ability to emerge victoriously after all the tumult—a challenge further illuminated by interviews with actresses like Frances McDormand and Tyne Daly. (Denver International Film Festival)