| COMEDIAN Rating:  Director: Christian Charles Producer: Gary Streiner Writer: N/A Directors of Photography: Christian Charles, Mark Plummer, Gary Streiner Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Orny Adams, Bill Cosby, Garry Shandling, Colin Quinn Visit the IMDB Page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Dan
Tester
11/03/02
I saw Jerry Seinfeld on Late Show With David Letterman earlier this week pimping his new film Comedian, and he termed it "a definitive look at the behind the scenes world of stand-up comedy." There is one main problem in accepting Comedian as a definitive document, and that is for one simple fact; it stars Jerry Seinfeld. Twenty years ago Comedian may have been authentic with Jerry Seinfeld as a focus, but after nine years on NBC that established him as one of the most famous stand-up comedians in the world, Comedian is mostly just a peek at King Jerry's experiences, not the world of stand-up in general. It would be the same, for example, if Bill Clinton decided to run for Governor of Arkansas again, after eight years as The President of the United States, and someone wanted to document the campaign on film. Sure it would be entertaining, but hardly a "definitive" account of a standard gubernatorial race. Featuring Seinfeld as the protagonist in this sort of scenario simply eliminates the dramatic tension necessary to make a movie like Comedian great.
That said, Comedian is a mostly entertaining observation of Seinfeld's return to the stand-up arena. As the film opens, he has jettisoned all of the material he had been recycling for a decade, and is now striking out on the miserable stand-up comedy circuit (at hole-in-the-wall dumps with names like Giggles and Burt's Joke Barn) with 100% brand new material. To its credit, the film does not pull any punches with Seinfeld's agony, displaying in brutal honestly moments where Jerry literally forgets his jokes on stage and is heckled mercilessly or insightful scenes where he beats himself up for such minutiae as stumbling over an immaterial word. There are lots of "pow-wow" scenes between Jerry and other top stand-up talents discussing their craft, and these scenes are very entertaining. But how many real up-and-comers walk off-stage after a bad set and plop down at a back booth to get pointers from Chris Rock, Garry Shandling or Bill Cosby? Not many I would guess, but the scenes are very funny and insightful.
The makers of Comedian make a wise choice to juxtapose Seinfeld's experiences with those of Orny Adams, an "actual" up-and-comer working the same clubs. These are the scenes that work the best in the film, at least in regards to the intended concept of showing the real experience. I can't tell you if Adams is a good stand-up or not, because precious little of his actual performances are displayed, but he definitely fits the archetypal mold of "tortured artist." In one hilarious scene following a successful performance, he calls everyone he knows to tell them about it, basks in five minutes of glory, and then collapses onto the sidewalk, moaning to the heavens and pitying the woman who will someday come into his life to become his wife. "Enjoy life now!" he screams, "because you are going to spend the rest of your life with me." I often wonder when watching films like this, how much of the action is genuinely "real" and how much is played up because a camera is pointed in their direction. I did not once feel that Orny Adams was exaggerating his dysfunction at all. He may just go far in this business.
In many ways, Comedian is a vanity project that features no vanity. I know that is an ironic critique, but if you think about it, the entire life of a stand-up is ironic. The entire essence of their existence relies upon positive feedback from a crowd of people that they harbor hostile disdain toward; comedians hate their audience. That message came through crystal clear in the film. Of course, sometimes the audiences really are jerks, and it is fascinating to watch how just one little violation of a stand-up's perceived rhythm can reduce them to quivering masses of jelly. In one funny moment, Orny Adams is told he can't use the word "lupus" in a joke for broadcast television, and must change it to "psoriasis." This one small change, this one seemingly miniscule edit, throws him for a complete loop. "I can't believe I'm making my network debut with an opening joke featuring brand new material!" he screams helplessly to his agent on his cell phone. Now that is insightful.
Years ago, I saw a film called Diary Of A Young Comic, starring a then unknown Richard Lewis. It was a semi-documentary that followed Lewis on his quest toward comedy stardom. I'm not sure if it is available on video, but it was a much grittier and realistic look at a funny young dreamer wading through the "two-drink minimum" morass toward the major leagues. The fact that it stars Lewis, who has made it to the big time, would make it an interesting view today. I was hoping Comedian would be more like that, but only the scenes featuring Orny Adams really smack of it.
So if you are interested in seeing how Jerry Seinfeld has spent the last few years of his life, by all means check out Comedian. But if you want to see a "definitive" account of the miserable lives of stand-up comedians, you will still have to do it the old fashioned way -- hang out in the back alley of Giggles.
But as always, it is only one man's opinion.
(A Miramax Films release. Opened in
New York and Los Angeles on October 11. Has expanded to more cities).
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