LIFE WITH LEIA! CARRIE FISHER'S "WISHFUL DRINKING"

Whats a girl to do when her planets been blown up! Princess Leia reaches for the pills on the book jacket/poster of her portrayer, Carrie Fisher's autobiographical life-tour, WISHFUL DRINKING.  Image: SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS.

She's a versatile actor, novelist, singer, and script doctor/aide to the best of the best behind the scenes of film and TV screens, but, for generations of fantasy loving fans worldwide, Carrie Fisher will always and forever, whether she likes it if not, be the feisty double bun hairdo wearing Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan from the Original STAR WARS Trilogy movies of 1977 to 1983.

Now, her acclaimed one woman autobiographical stage show, WISHFUL DRINKING, also based on her equally successful book of the same name, is coming to the UK’s SKY ATLANTIC HD channel tonight at 10.15pm, and, whether you’re a fan of Miss Fisher from her iconic role in STAR WARS, or just love watching a fine raconteur/observer of darkly absurd humour and personal heartbreak doing her thing in such entertaining style, then this is well worth a look.

It all starts with Fisher giving an hilarious family tree/bloodlines guide for her audiences, then unraveling further as she recalls her often incredulous life and times since childhood living within the protective safety bubble of the Hollywood elite, in a period where anything could happen and probably did, and which saw Carrie, fighting her demons, soon using its comfy madness as a security blanket from which to hide within.

Alongside candid observations, humourous frankness and great behind the scenes footage and images, Fisher talks about her formative years growing up within that helter-skelter entertainment world, her earthquake-league ups and downs with love ‘em and hate ‘em mum Debbie Reynolds and Dad Eddie Fisher, her mistakes with her husbands, in-breeding worries, drug addictions, mental health problems (more recently revealed as a bi-polar disorder), and electro-shock treatments.

Trailer: YouTube - Wishful Drinking Trailer (HBO)

Clip: YouTube - Carrie Fisher - HBO - Wishful Drinking Clip

Then, as if it couldn’t be any more painful or funnier, adding even more complexity to the life chaos, comes Fisher’s ever evolving love/hate relationship with STAR WARS, another fine comedic observational goldmine for her to explore and reveal, not only about her filming experiences (there are no bras in space!), but in working with George Lucas, becoming a unique brand of merchandising and even inter-acting with her own merry little band of stalkers!

That darned Leia, she just won't go away! Image: HBO

And as the comedy odyssey breaks into a gallop for the finishing line, it all seems like just another day at the office for Miss Fisher. Heck, with three lifetimes worth of angst, how she’s managed to come through all of that to reach the light at the far end of the tunnel is a blessed miracle, and there are times when you don’t know whether to laugh or cry at some of the monumentally painful and unlucky things that have happened to her. With WISHFUL DRINKING in general, though, there’s bound to be more of the former than the latter…

So, head on into the world of Carrie Fisher and her brilliantly conceived production of WISHFUL DRINKING. It’s quite a ride, and certainly a most memorable one, too!

KOOL TV RATING: 4 out of 5