Burt Reynolds was one of the biggest stars of his day. Many would argue that he was the last big movie star. His charm, wit and talent propelled him to the top of the charts in both film and television. “I Am Burt Reynolds” is a fascinating look at the life and career of a man who changed the entertainment business.

With interviews and footage, the two-hour documentary is a window into the world of Reynolds. His friends, colleagues and family discuss his traits, both good and bad, and his dedication to his career. He strived to be the best at whatever he did, and it showed. It also showed that he had an intuition about how to be the star he was, and how to perform, making everything he did look easy.

His goal was to be a football star, but a knee injury sidelined that and he became a stuntman and an A-list actor. His wit and charm bubbled to the surface both on screen and off. He had the ability to laugh at himself and he knew which films were good and which ones were bad, and Reynolds wasn’t shy about telling people that. His appearances on talk shows only added to his popularity when he came up with adorable quips off the cuff. He joked about himself, his films and his life, but he always managed to ingratiate himself to both men and women. Men wanted to be like him and women wanted to be with him.

One of the great loves of his life was Sally Field, and in an archived interview she discusses their relationship. They made four films together and off screen they were the “it” couple of the day.

But their relationship ended and later he fell in love with actress Loni Anderson who he married and with whom he adopted a son, Quinton. Both Loni and Quinton talk about Burt and his life and inner demons.

Reynolds had put his body through torture, causing enormous pain and an addiction to pain killers. He then spiraled out of control in an attempt to remain at the top of his game while holding the pain at bay. Drugs changed him and he did, eventually, go to rehab to get his life back on track.

Besides Loni and Quinton, those providing insight into this almost larger-than-life man are Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Joe Namath, Marilu Henner, Adam Rifkin, Alfie Wise, Ariel Winter, Peter Bogdanovich and Reynolds’s niece Nancy Lee Hess.

There are archived interviews with Reynolds as he discusses his life and work. Friends from his past also give insight into the man who was generous to the point of giving so much of his money away he went broke at one point. He never saved, he always spent and gave. His heart was big, and one could say it was bigger than his bank account although he was at the top of the Hollywood food chain.

After his breakout role in “Deliverance,” there was no stopping him, and he went on to make “Smokey and the Bandit,” “Boogie Nights,” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and more, plus he transitioned to TV while also still keeping his film career on track.

This is an interesting look at the man who had it all — looks, charisma, talent, heart and love. For today’s generation, he is a Hollywood relic; however, his impact on the business and history of entertainment is great. He was Old Hollywood personified.

And, as a side note, his mustache was right up there with those of today’s mustache mega men: Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott.

“I Am Burt Reynolds” was produced in 2020 and won Best Documentary at the 2021 Breckenridge Film Fest. This film premiered Dec. 30 on The CW and is now available to stream on the CW app and cwtv.com.

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