Rating of
3.5/4
Applause
Ghost Seed - wrote on 09/18/08
Why do I love this so?
Comedian is a jazzy, raw, well-made documentary about the reality of pursuing (or continuing) a career in stand-up comedy...and the challenges that come with it.
This is the first time I really "got it." Seeing the anguish of these men (who I developed a whole new respect for as writers) fighting their own insecurity and bad feedback, to perfect - that is, be the absolute BEST at - their passion...which is making us laugh. And that craft is broken down to a science here, with many well-known comedians weighing in on the skill, and what it means to them.
I've been searching and searching, and have yet to find a film of it's equal. There is a humble, nervous performer full of self doubt - which is the well-established superstar Jerry Seinfeld...and a cocky, bitter, too-early-to-be-jaded "celebrity" Orny Adams (who???) and we follow the opposing paths of both. Sure my cynical side tells me that this could be a well-planned facade, meant to bamboozle the audience into seeing Seinfeld as a saint, but the emotion up on the screen is unquestionable.
It is a fascinating look at a world we seldom see, and it is hilarious as it reveals.
