James L. Freedman’s newest documentary, Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, takes a look at the life and career of the late Jewish actor.

Charles Grodin started out as a supporting actor before getting his big break with The Heartbreak Kid in 1972. He would have gotten his break a few years prior but he lost out on a role in The Graduate to Dustin Hoffman. Unfortunately for audiences wishing to experience Grodin’s work in the 1972 comedy classic, the Elaine May film is out of print, having been released on DVD in both 1998 and 2002.

Other standouts in Grodin’s filmography include Catch-22, King Kong, Heaven Can Wait, Midnight Run, Beethoven, and Dave. Okay, so I was young when the St. Bernard-starring comedy was released in theaters! After watching Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, I’m due for a first-ever viewing of Midnight Run. Better late than never!

Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause is heavy on archival clips, seeing as how Grodin died in 2021 as a result of multiple myeloma. He was also diagnosed with dementia. A number of the clips show Grodin putting on a masterclass in his talk show appearances. After all, making people laugh was one of his specialties! For those that might not know, there was more to the actor than just acting. He later hosted his issues-oriented own show on CNBC and MSNBC for a few seasons–interestingly, the Pittsburgh native wanted to go into journalism until he caught the acting bug. He followed this up by serving as a political commentator for a few seasons on 60 Minutes II.

With the film running just an hour and a half, there’s only so much room for the highlights from TV appearances, let alone film clips. Even when it comes to his funny side on talk shows or his work with Simon & Garfunkel, there’s only so much that can fit into Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause! But as far as clips go, we get a bit of his appearance hosting SNL in 1977. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be wanting to watch the clip in full afterwards.

Freedman narrates Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause while weaving in clips with photos and contemporary interviews. It’s obviously a no-brainer to include Grodin’s colleagues and comedians talking about him. However, Freedman also makes sure to include Brandon Hein’s father along with some of the women released from prison due to Grodin’s lobbying efforts. This speaks to Grodin’s efforts as an activist during the latter part of his life. I’ll have more about this aspect of his career in a moment.

Grodin wasn’t unlike other actors in using his celebrity for causes. However, he took a rather different approach and audiences can see this in Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause. You wouldn’t find him taking the stage at a rally or leading a protest. Instead, he was the type who would use his celebrity so as to directly lobby the people who have the ability to change laws or make a difference. There were a few laws in particular that Grodin focused on: the felony murder rule and the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Grodin discussed how he used his celebrity for social justice causes:

“I tell you what I do that’s different than a lot of the people that have access through celebrity is that I don’t do it at big rallies. You don’t want me to picket the governor’s office. You want me to be in the governor’s office.”

Because of his dementia diagnosis, Charles Grodin would never learn about Brandon Hein being released from prison after 25 years. Grodin died at 86 years old in May 2021.

Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause serves as a basic introduction to the multi-hyphenate as it paints a full portrait of his life.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER/NARRATOR: James L. Freedman
FEATURING: Charles Grodin, Elissa Grodin, Marion Grodin, Nick Grodin, Jonathan Alter, Alan Arkin, Elaine Bartlett, June Benson Lambert, Ria Berkus, Lewis Black, Martin Brest, Scott Budnick, Carol Burnett, Ellen Burstyn, Randy Credico, Robert De Niro, Art Garfunkel, Gene Hein, Richard Kind, Jon Lovitz, Marc Maron, Steve Martin, Richard Martini, Elaine May, Erica Rhodes, Henry Schleiff, Julian Schlossberg, Martin Short, Harper Simon, Marlo Thomas, Jan Warren

Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause holds its world premiere during the 2025 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Upcoming screenings include the 2025 JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival. Grade: 4/5

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