The play was based upon lectures that Reilly, a Tony Award-winning Broadway actor, had been giving to college theater students.

The New York Times hailed the play as "a homey, entertaining evening, what one imagines it might be like to meet Mr. Reilly through mutual friends, have a couple of drinks and listen to a series of his anecdotes..." San Francisco's SF Weekly called Reilly's performance "nebbishy, cranky, excitable, grouchy, Bronx-accented, eccentric, and fey: He's like a loudmouthed, American Quentin Crisp."

Perhaps a defining moment in young Reilly's life, his father asked his mother her thoughts and she unceremoniously rejected the possibility.

In the class were such future stars and notables as Steve McQueen, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards, Geraldine Page and Gene Hackman.

Reilly went on to become a fixture in television appearing in numerous episodes of Car 54, Where Are You?, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, and starring in Lidsville.

Coming in at over a hundred separate appearances, he reflected on the NBC executive who told him he would not be allowed on television—but now Reilly wondered, "Who do I have to fuck to get off?!"

Success came to Reilly's professional life, and he has used all the knowledge and expertise he has gained through a lifetime spent acting to teach.

His longtime friend Burt Reynolds gave him a theater in which to teach the craft of acting, and it has fulfilled Reilly ever since.

As we leave him in what he calls "The twilight of an extraordinary life", we see a portrait of an artist, a victim of prejudice who rose above it, a trailblazing comedic personality, an entertainer, a son, a teacher, and a man laid bare for all to see.

The sets include the theatrical release, a 3-hour length staged version of the play, a "making of" featurette, and a feature-length commentary with Burt Reynolds, Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller, and Dom DeLuise.

After its release, The Life of Reilly garnered a "100% Fresh" rating from critics at Rotten Tomatoes[1] and was listed as the best reviewed film of 2007.

"[3] The Village Voice wrote that "Rambling, blithe, nostalgic, and out for revenge, Reilly presents a witty anecdotal timeline of his life, and the bittersweet milestones play like a Spalding Gray monologue loosened up with a few shots of tequila.