Films From the Funny Farm – Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedian”
In a little indie theater with only 25 seats I sat, not knowing exactly what to expect. After all, this starred the great Jerry Seinfeld. On the other hand, it was suppose to be a documentary that has serious undertones about the dog-eat-dog world of comedy. A hour and 40 minutes later, I was completely hooked.
Comedian is a very personal documentary of Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy life after he threw away all his old material and started fresh. Insecurities, competitive edge, and good old fashioned Seinfeld humor is here. The camera follows Jerry back into the trenches of the New York City comedy clubs, where he tries to perfect his new bits. He kills. He bombs. Most of all, he’s human. He says repeatedly that “I had a show, I was larger than life! Now, here I am, back in a smoky comedy club in New York.” All he wants is to be “comfortable” on stage again. Comedian shows the rocky journey to gaining that comfort.
The majority of people who have seen this film gave it raving reviews. The only person who hasn’t is Roger Ebert who claims that there was no deep revelations (or something of that nature). I disagree. While it isn’t as deep as I would have liked to see it, the movie is still very revealing. You see Jerry’s struggles and you see his triumphs. This was an extremely personal story and he shines. Being a comedian/comedy writer myself, I know how difficult it is to show your audience exactly how vulnerable you are. That’s what this movie accomplished. Seinfeld pulled this off brilliantly, and I commend him for it. Great job, Jerry. I didn’t think it was possible that he could be higher on my list, but I was proven wrong.
Orny Adams was a great contrast to Jerry. Orny was a cocky, too-sure-of-himself young comedian. Jerry was a seasoned, insecure comedian. It was a great contrast. Coupled with the surprising cameos of Colin Quinn, Mario Joyner, Jay Leno, Bill Cosby, and others, this film is entertaining from beginning to end.
This movie touched me specifically because I know this business. This is my business. Comedian is the first movie about stand-up comedy that shows the business accurately, yet gives it an optimistic promise. It blows the optimistic love fest, Punch Line, out of the water. This is comedy for what it is. If you are a struggling comedian, or a performer in general, this is a must see. It will show you that even the biggest stars still deal with the same issues the younger ones do. This is an extraordinarily comforting notion. So, comedians of the world, take notice! This film was made for us, and we should bow to Seinfeld for making it.
