Comedian (2002)

Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Orny Adams, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Bill Cosby, Garry Shandling, Robert Klein, and Ray Romano, with smaller roles from Kevin Nealon, George Wallace, Greg Giraldo, Jim Norton, and Godfrey
Grade: A+

As easy as some make it seem, comedy is a tough business.

Summary

Comedian is about the pressures of being a comedian and everything it entails. There isn’t much of a narrative per say, but the general story is the process of a comedian through two very different stand-up performers. First, there is the established and worldwide famous Jerry Seinfeld as he develops an entirely new act. Second, there is the up-and-coming star, Orny Adams. As we check in on both men in their everyday lives, we see the similarities and the differences between a man who has already “made it”, and a guy who is on the cusp of stardom but struggles with his own approach.

My Thoughts:

In terms of documentaries, Comedian has to be one of the best I’ve watched in quite some time. If you want to see a no-holds-barred look at the world of stand-up, look no further.

In-between the intersecting stories of Seinfeld and Adams, we see Jerry and other famous comedians discussing jokes, their acts, and little performing nuances that give people insight on how hard it can be to be a great performer (as well as rookie mistakes). Some scenes, as a huge fan of stand-up, are truly awesome to watch unfold. You ever hear someone ponder how a conversation between minds like Albert Einstein and Leonardo DaVinci would go? Well, there are scenes here that capture the same energy only for fans of comedy. Through raw footage that makes us truly feel like a fly on the wall, we get to see some of the most legendary comedians ever talking about the ins and outs of comedy and the art of making people laugh. It’s unaltered, unfiltered, and absolutely fascinating. We see Jerry talking to legends like Garry Shandling and Chris Rock right before a small show, and it feels like this never-before-seen footage that makes you feel like you’re a part of a conversation involving some of the funniest people on the planet. It’s not what they say that is the most interesting part of it either, it’s the normal-ness of the conversation that is so cool to see. It’s as if we aren’t allowed to watch this. This is how good the footage is handled, directed, and edited by the team behind director Christian Charles. At one point, Seinfeld and Jay Leno discuss each other’s acts and careers in this nonchalant way, but for fans and historians of comedy, it feels like an event.

This is what Comedian gives us, a deeply personal look into stand-up and into the minds of some of the most iconic and (relatively) private performers who still love every ounce of what they are doing, discussing the job with other geniuses on the subject in what feels like a private club. Thankfully, a tiny camera is hidden in this “club”. In doing so, we are let in on what goes on behind the curtain, and it’s enthralling.

The climax of Comedian has Jerry talk to the iconic Bill Cosby, and Cosby is presented like The Godfather it seems because of how much everyone in the field respects him. Seeing the genuine happiness from someone like Seinfeld, when he gets the validation from Cosby, was all that was needed to remind him that he’s kicking ass. This is crazy to think about as you watch it. Even with all of the success he had, arguably just as much if not more than Cosby himself, Seinfeld still felt the ultimate level of satisfaction by hearing the respect Cosby has for him. Not only is this personable moment so rare for someone like Seinfeld, but it’s also additionally a great moment to show us the affect Cosby has had on the art of humor. It’s a very nice aside to remind us that even stars as big as Jerry Seinfeld still look up to the veterans, something co-star Orny Adams doesn’t seem to understand.

One very memorable scene is Chris Rock telling Seinfeld that he attended a recent Cosby stand-up, saying Cosby performed over two hours of new material in one straight session. As a fan, we don’t need to tell you how big Rock and Seinfeld are, but to see them completely shocked at how amazing this Cosby feat is and practically fangirl over it, really goes to show you how hard it can be to make people laugh, especially for that long. As novice fans of stand-up, we don’t know the half of what it takes to get there, what it takes to stay on top, how to get meaningful and authentic laughs, and how to stay funny as time goes by, but Comedian tackles the subject from every corner to give us a never-before-seen look on the career that many try but very few succeed at. For instance, think about the shock value of this conversation between Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld. These guys are two of the most prolific comedians ever and even they admit they couldn’t pull off what Cosby did, at his advanced age no less. It’s yet another reminder on the talent that he was just as well. What’s even more incredible is when the absolutely-in-awe Seinfeld speaks to Cosby about it, he passes it off as no big deal, humbly talking about how much he loves his job.

It’s awesome stuff.

I can’t say that everyone will have the reaction I did while watching, but if you have a genuine interest in stand-up comedy, the beautifully understated filming of Comedian is a spellbinding watch. It’s riveting seeing Seinfeld prepare himself before a show. The silence speaks volumes, as we watch the final minutes of quietness as he goes over routines in his head and says keywords out loud to help him remember the order of his jokes. The tension felt made it seems as if Seinfeld was getting ready for a heavyweight title fight. He doesn’t smile. He has to mentally prepare for a great performance. You can see the grim expression on his face because he wants to give the best performance possible, even refusing a picture from a stagehand before he went in front of the curtain because he’s in the zone. When it’s show time, it’s show time. This level of seriousness involved in a documentary about comedy is what makes it so captivating. It’s a must see for any historians of comedy, stand-up, or anything regarding the legends of the genre.

This entire documentary is filmed on cheap-looking cameras too, and there’s no narration or anything to speak of, giving full freedom to whoever is on camera to speak how they want or discuss what they deem his necessary. There is no narrative to follow, and you aren’t asked to boo or cheer anyone. Just like when you’re viewing stand-up material, you are essentially asked to watch the action unfold and gather your own opinions. With the camera, the “amateurish” look to the film was a great choice. It gave it this raw feel, where it seemed like this camera just happened to be there as these comedians go about their regular lives and conversations. This is rare in a documentary. It was not as invading as one would think. None of the established stars act for the camera or anything like that. It feels natural. Now, this is in stark contrast with co-star Orny Adams, which only makes sense of his inexperience and lack of mainstream success. Trying to chew up the scenery in every sequence he’s involved in, he talks to the cameras like how one would talk in their head, and it gets annoying in a hurry. We do appreciate this man’s hard work because he takes comedy very seriously though. As we go in-depth with Adams and see all the jokes he’s written, his unproduced screenplays, and everything in-between in his house, it endears his struggle to us because it shows you how good he wants to be. Unfortunately, he also comes off as an egotistical douchebag at the same time. He acts humble talking to Seinfeld, but when he interacts with literally anyone else, including the camera following him at every turn, he expects everything to be handed to him.

Again, it’s hard to say if this is his true personality or if he’s acting for the camera, but one thing is for sure, the arrogant Orny Adams does himself no favors for those who don’t know him going into Comedian.

Yes, he’s been in the comedy world forever, and he’s been working his ass off to be a star, but at times, his personality comes off as obnoxious when he’s not on stage. It’s hard to say what the intention of the director is, or the editing rather. Though it seems like they’re trying to build sympathy for this underdog, Orny seems to ruin it by revealing his true feelings of resentfulness and his incessant inability to take constructive criticism. At one point, a friend tells him to calm down on stage and talks about ways he can fix his style in front of him to George Shapiro, and you can see Orny getting visibly pissed off. Even the experienced Shapiro, a legendary talent agent who knows what he’s talking about, agrees with the guy, and Orny has this not-so-subtle look on his face like, “These guys don’t know shit”. His blind confidence is honestly maddening. Clearly, it led to his downfall too because despite the ladder of success we see him climb in this movie, we haven’t seen him do anything in real-life since, showing us that the portrayal of Adams in this movie was more realistic than he would probably like to admit. We don’t know him personally, but based off what we see here, there’s a good chance his attitude caught up with him.

Though he’s frustrating as hell to watch, in his defense, it does add a lot to the overall film, especially when we see him compared to someone like Jerry Seinfeld. The massive differences they have from each other balances the film and keeps the final product consistently fresh.

Another point the film stresses is that the grind never stops. No matter where these two are at in their careers, they are constantly honing their craft whether it be as a performer, writer, or whatever else. It’s incredibly intensive for a business centered on making people laugh. To continue being at the top of your game in comedy, you have to constantly put in the work. Even if you have a good-to-great set, the general attitude from almost every comedian involved in this production is that you’re only as good as your last show. There’s a sense that no matter how good certain jokes are, nothing is ever good enough for these perfectionist performers. Then again, you have to be a perfectionist in this field. This is how you “make it”. If guys like Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Jay Leno stress it, who are we to say anything different? Comedian presents the stresses of the job at its highest of levels with its most famous performers, painting the most accurate picture possible to novice fans to show us why this is a much more serious career than the stars have let on. It’s never-ending and even the most prepared and established star can still get rattled. At one point, we see Jerry Seinfeld himself lose his train of thought on stage, as he forgets his own punchline! Can you imagine that? This is a guy who people point to as one of the greatest comics of all time! Even with all of this experience and practice, we still see the struggle of performing new material and getting thrown off.

The feelings of anxiousness coming out of this production knows no bounds, but it’s fantastic.

Comedian is an extraordinary documentary, fully capturing the real, stressful world of stand-up comedy. Though the structure of the film is a bit loose, if you’re interested in stand-up and want to see the preparation it takes to become a great performer, this raw eye-opener is a magnificent and insightful look into the field, with some of the industry’s biggest stars discussing how it’s done.