Liza Minnelli documentary explores making of an icon

NEW YORK

Liza Minnelli’s life takes center stage in “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story,” a revealing documentary premiering on April 1 directed by Bruce David Klein, offering an unvarnished portrait of the EGOT-winning icon shaped by talent adversity and five key mentors.

Minelli, now 78, overcame addiction, insecurity and the towering legacy of her mother, Judy Garland.

“We could have made three dozen different films on her life,” Klein noted. The filmmaker didn't want to do a conventional biopic: “It sounds pretentious, but I did learn over years of doing this that the smartest thing to do was to let the material speak to me instead of applying a preconceived notion of what the film would be.”

His approach crystallized when Minelli credited lyricists Fred Ebb with “inventing” her. From there, Klein traced her artistic evolution through Ebb, Kay Thompson, Charles Aznavour, Bob Fosse and Halston.

The documentary explores how Aznavour deepened her emotional delivery, Fosse refined her movement and Halston shaped her iconic style, featuring archival footage and interviews with Minnelli’s close circle, including Ben Vereen, Mia Farrow, Chita Rivera and Darren Criss.

Though oftentimes considered what is now referred to as a “nepo baby,” Minnelli’s path to stardom was fraught with comparisons to Garland and criticism of her unconventional beauty.

“This idea of a double-edged sword of privilege with her was one of the surprising things I learned,” said Klein. “For her to get from third base to home was actually harder than for many of us to rounding the bases because of the expectations.”