If only we had more time.
André Is an Idiot is a hilariously depressing, joyous descent into the intricacies of a slow death. Directed by Tony Benna, the bio-doc is centered around André Ricciardi, an eccentric 55-year-old man who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. The film is driven by his own wishes to document what is likely the hardest period of his life, and prevent others from making the same mistake that landed him in these unfortunate circumstances.
Most people in this situation may want less attention drawn to the inevitable decline of their mental and physical health. But André is not most people. He is a dynamic, joke-cracking, one-man show who brings life to everyone around him, even in the face of certain death. He curses like a sailor and approaches life with an infectious flavor of gonzo enthusiasm. This is a man who won Kim Kardashian’s pants in a contest and tried to scrape her DNA from them in order to clone her. A man who keeps a stash of weed in his closet as currency for the apocalypse, and one who would make a movie documenting his own death. In his words: “It’s fascinating that I’m dying. One way to deal with it is to make this film.” His opinion of cancer being ‘sad’ and needing to be taken seriously? Simple: “F*ck that.”
If there ever was a dark comedy documentary, this is it. It will crack you up, bring you to tears, and leave you weak with pure emotion.
Starting with his early life before his diagnosis, the documentary introduces us to André as if catching up with an old friend. We learn about his green card marriage that blossomed into genuine love, his quirky, irreverent attitude (no cops, no doctors), his brotherly relationship with his best friend Lee Einhorn, and eventually his unconventional but incredibly loving family life. And then, his diagnosis.
Seeing the characters of his life grapple with his inevitable death is an unusually human experience. No film could really capture the humorously mundane realities of hanging out with someone whose days are numbered. At times, things feel fine, almost normal, then seemingly innocuous things bring reality back to the forefront. In one scene, André and Lee come across a fountain full of pennies, and Lee jokingly says, “What would you wish for?” to which they both burst out laughing.
André himself handles his own demise quite well; he is making a documentary about his death after all. His hair falling out is just a constant creation of little furry friends. His terminal diagnosis is only an excuse for more dark jokes and black comedy. He says that as his cancer gets worse, it only gets funnier.
From time to time, André’s mask slips just a little, and you can see the deep sadness that lurks inside.
It would be easy for his positive attitude to come across as delusional, but to André, it’s genuine. He really does find humor in the agonizing process of death and is consistently the happiest person in the room, cracking jokes and keeping things light.
But the truth always comes rushing back. In between jokes about bleeding assholes and perfect last words are somber moments of sobering reality. André’s family and friends will lose him. From time to time, André’s mask slips just a little, and you can see the deep sadness that lurks inside. But he doesn’t try to hide it for his own sake. What he is most sad about, what he fears most, is the sadness of his friends and family when he is gone. When he won’t be around to comfort them. His own death is trivial when he compares it to the grief of the ones he loves most.
So he cracks jokes. And tries to make sure no one else repeats his mistakes. This documentary isn’t just about André; it’s also a PSA to the world, urging everyone to get a colonoscopy when the time comes.
The doc’s name comes from the words his mother said to him after finding out his diagnosis: “André, you’re a fucking idiot.” Colon cancer is one of the easiest cancers to detect, but André failed to get his routine colonoscopy, a mistake he wants to make sure no one else makes.
An ad campaign was launched alongside this film, filled with colorful imagery of peaches, donuts, and other everyday things that are all humorously reminiscent of anuses. They act as colonoscopy reminders, designed partly by André and in the spirit of his former days as a wacky, out-of-the-box ad man.
It is the best documentary I’ve ever seen, and feels like getting to know a new friend, only to lose them prematurely. If not for a single, tone deaf use of AI, this documentary would be a perfect swan song for the human condition.
If you want plenty of laughs and a good cry, watch André Is an Idiot. And get a colonoscopy at age 45.
