Documentary Review: 'Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It'

If you don’t fall in love with legendary actress Rita Moreno before the end of the documentary, Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It, I will never understand you. In this remarkable biographical documentary, Rita Moreno relives her career highlights and downfalls and reveals herself to be one of the most inspiring and resilient performers in Hollywood history. Hollywood did Rita Moreno dirty for decades before she finally won in the end and Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It covers it all.

Have you heard of the EGOT? It’s an acronym dedicated to those remarkable performers who have stood at the forefront of the field of entertainment awards. Rita Moreno is one such EGOT winner. EGOT is short for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, the biggest awards in television, music, movies and Broadway. To have won the EGOT requires a versatility that is nearly unmatched in the field.

Only 16 people have managed the EGOT and for Moreno her journey to the EGOT is among the most unique. In 1961, Rita Moreno won the Oscar for her fiery, passionate, and deeply moving performance as Anita opposite George Chakiris in West Side Story. It was a rare role for Moreno who was so often typecast for her skin color that getting the chance to play a Latina character that wasn’t a peasant girl, was actually a breakthrough.

Then, rather than accept the parts Hollywood was offering her, playing more characters based solely on her skin color, Moreno moved to the stage and eventually to the most unlikely of places for an Oscar winner, Children’s television. In 1971, Rita Moreno led the cast of the kids’ show, The Electric Company. It was with The Electric Company that Rita picked up her Grammy and Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It gives us a wonderful glimpse into that Grammy winning performance, opposite her long time friend and co-star, Morgan Freeman.

In 1975 Moreno debuted a new Broadway musical called The Ritz. The show starred Moreno in an absolutely iconic performance, for those who saw it, as Googie Gomez, an outlandish stage performer and outsized superstar. Moreno loved playing Googie Gomez and you can see in the documentary the way Moreno’s eyes light up talking about Googie Gomez that the part still means a lot to her more than 45 years later.

Moreno then won the EGOT, before anyone even recognized the achievement, when she was doubly honored at the Emmy Awards in 1977 and 1978. She won the award in the same category, two years running. In 1977 she was recognized as Best Guest Performer for her sassy comic performance on The Muppet Show and her terrifically entertaining guest appearance on the long running television show, The Rockford Files.

It truly says something awful about Hollywood that even after winning an Academy Award for Best Actress, Rita Moreno was kept from getting big important leading roles. Even with an Oscar in hand Moreno was denied the chance to seek roles in big budget features because of the color of her skin. It’s an unimaginable loss for those who can only dream of the kinds of performances Moreno might have given had it not been for the blatant, ugly, and insidious nature of Hollywood’s all too casual racism.

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It doesn’t shy away from this very indictment of Hollywood but director Mariem Perez Riera also never lingers long on the negatives. Rita Moreno is such a lovely and charming presence that the filmmaker and those of us eager to enjoy her can’t remain unhappy for long. Moreno is herself so resilient and spirited that joy is irrepressible. That’s part of the magic of Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It.

If you haven’t heard, Rita Moreno is returning to the big screen this year. Moreno has been cast in a pivotal role in Steven Speilberg’s remake of West Side Story. That will be on the big screen just in time for the Holiday and Awards season. As for Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It, the documentary is available now on many streaming platforms and is a must see for fans of Hollywood and especially fans of the wonderful Rita Moreno.