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Comedian
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // May 13, 2003
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
"The question is this -- what have I been doing?"
Much of the cast of the immeasurably popular Seinfeld has maintained a high level of visibility, from churning out critically panned sitcoms to shilling boneless chicken wings. On the other hand, Jerry Seinfeld, a millionaire hundreds of times over, voluntarily dropped off the public radar. True to his word in the HBO special I'm Telling You for the Last Time, Jerry ditched the material he'd spent the past twenty years cultivating. Starting from scratch, one of the world's best-known comics clawed his way towards five awkward minutes of material, which he ceaselessly honed and reshaped. Soon he had fifteen minutes, then twenty, and as he put in an increasing number of appearances at legendary joints like Caroline's and the Gotham Comedy Club, assembling an hour of material didn't seem like such a distant goal. Comedian follows Jerry as he road tests his material, wading through some of the same trenches as relative unknowns. Despite having more cash in the bank than most small countries, he voluntarily endures this torturous process, not out of any sort of financial obligation, but because of the indescribable high of making a crowd burst into laughter.
To compare and contrast with Seinfeld's comedic rebirth is Orny Adams, a rising star on the New York club scene. His swaggering confidence and refusal to accept anything remotely resembling criticism is a stark difference from the professional, polite Seinfeld. When a joke doesn't go over as well as expected for Jerry, he blames himself, taking the opportunity to re-evaluate the wording and timing of his delivery. Orny places the blame squarely on the shoulders of the audience. He also appears to view stand-up as a springboard to something greater, and Orny's bitter and resentful that he's yet to make it in the eyes of the vultures in Los Angeles. The documentary suggests that Orny isn't any more neurotic than the more seasoned comics that appear throughout Comedian; they're just better at hiding it.
Comedian is a good, falling shy of great, documentary. One of its flaws is that the footage with Orny and Jerry isn't masterfully woven together. The documentary consists of lengthy blocks following one comedian, then switching without much of a segueway. The emphasis is much heavier on the concept of a joke and its delivery than the gag itself, and though there is some stand-up footage in Comedian, the limited amount would've been more understandable if the documentary didn't have such a lean runtime. Fifteen months of material had been condensed to less than 78 minutes, providing plenty of room for additional footage of what comedians love about their job instead of just the aggravations. Even if the amount of stand-up remained as-is, I would've been curious to get a more detailed glimpse of the life of a comedian outside of writing and telling jokes.
It's been more than a decade since I first became enamoured with stand-up comedy, and I used to spend hours each weekend ravenously consuming every stand-up TV show that I could, shamelessly lifting the material and weakly retelling it to friends and family. Though I never pursued it more seriously than that (my lack of wit ought to be evident from my reviews), I've long had a great passion for stand-up comedy, and I enjoyed the backstage glimpse Comedian offers. It's not the sort of compelling documentary that I'm likely watch to repeatedly, unlike something along the lines of Radiohead's excellent Meeting People Is Easy. (Coincidentally, both docs have an eerily similar shot of a monitor in a green room, displaying their subjects' performances on Letterman.) Though not perfect, Comedian ought to be of great interest to rabid fans of Seinfeld and stand-up in general. To push the documentary out of merely rental-worthy territory, Miramax Home Video has tacked on a pretty substantial array of supplemental material for its release on DVD.
Video: The full-frame Comedian looks about as good as could be expected, considering that it was shot on a pair of consumer-grade video cameras. Given the quick and dirty photography, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that some shots are buried under an avalanche of video noise, colors are rendered wildly inconsistently, and the image doesn't boast any sort of awe-inspiring level of detail. The presentation is more than passable, but it's obviously not going to rank as reference-quality material for home theater enthusiasts.
Audio: Comedian sports a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, though it doesn't make the most effective use of the six channels at its disposal. The conversations documented are anchored up front, recorded in a similarly guerilla fashion. Particularly in some of the earlier club scenes, there's so much chatter and assorted background noise that Seinfeld and company can be pretty tough to fully discern. The comics are also occasionally buried under the jazzy music present throughout, and these songs are the sole reason the subwoofer and rear channels ever roar to life. The documentary's speakers weren't constantly overwhelmed, but it did present an intermittent annoyance. Thankfully, Miramax has tacked on closed captions and English subtitles, which ought to make those stretches a little easier to wade through.
Comedian also includes a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track.
Supplements: The extras on Comedian begin with a pair of commentary tracks. One features Jerry Seinfeld and Colin Quinn, who spent most of the length of the film making each other laugh. The discussion is pretty light, including such varied topics as muffins, Cirque du Soleil, Barry Katz' pony tail, whether or not leather is appropriate wear for stand-up, and Colin Quinn's fascination/disgust with The Out-Of-Towners. On a slightly more serious, technical note is a second commentary, pairing director Christian Charles and producer Gary Streiner. Their chat is a little more focused, delving into the process of paring down 600 hours of material and the many stumbling blocks that had to be overcome throughout the course of production. The two, who also served as the documentary's cameramen, also discuss why they chose Orny as well as their hopes that they'd catch Jerry bombing. A reference is made to "Orny's commentary", which, for whatever reason, was scrapped somewhere along the way.
Five deleted scenes have been included, with optional audio commentary from the production team of Charles and Streiner. They're closer in quality to what I'd expect from a camcorder than the footage that made it into the final cut, which makes me wonder if the rest of the movie originally looked like this before undergoing some insane digital sweetening. "Fresh Air Fund" (3:35) follows Jerry to his first lengthy set, and it happens to be under the worst of conditions. "Porsche Meet" (1:09) has Jerry not entirely fitting in at...surprise!...a Porsche meet. Jerry is confused about how an almost-discarded bit killed, yet he "Struggles With DNA" (4:00), prompting him to milk an analogy about nursing a baby bird. Jerry's car collection leaps on-screen again in "Volkswagon Trip" (4:15), as he treks cross-country and performs some makeshift repairs. Orny only pops up once in the deleted footage, in the sufficiently self-explanatory "Orny Leaves For L.A." (1:25).
The comprehensive "Advertising" section begins with a letterboxed, non-anamorphic theatrical trailer (1:36) that spoofs the voice-over recording process. The "in a world..." radio spot (1:03) follows along much the same lines. There is also a set of television commercials where Jerry demonstrates the origins of comedy through the drudgery of everyday life. "Cereal", "Office", and "Shower" are letterboxed and run just over 30 seconds in length each. Also included is a shot of the original one-sheet, alongside eight "Wild Posters" with captions like "At last, a film from Miramax that won't win a damn thing." Finally, there are fourteen photos of comic action figures, followed by a still of their dispenser.
Alone worth the price of entry, Jiminy Glick interviews both Jerry Seinfeld (7:08) and Orny Adams (6:37). I haven't given Primetime Glick a fair shot on Comedy Central, but the pair of interviews on this DVD are so hysterical that I'll have to make it a point to check it out. The Letterman appearances excerpted in the movie are included in their entirety. Orny's set was taped on December 13, 2000 and runs just under six minutes in length, and Jerry's from the following March 12th totals seven minutes. Neither appearance is particularly memorable, and Orny's stilted performance didn't get a single laugh from me or my little band of friends.
"Where Is Orny Now?" (2:48) picks up with the comic in Los Angeles, where he chats about a profitable but pointless development deal and the comedic freedom he now enjoys. "Anatomy of a Joke", Comedian's working title, consists of scribbled notes by Jerry, Orny, and Colin Quinn, all of which are pretty much illegible.
Finally, writer Michael Long contributes a set of liner notes. Comedian includes a set of sparse 4x3 menus with some light animation, and the documentary has been divided into eighteen chapters.
Conclusion: Viewers who go into Comedian expecting wall-to-wall laughs will go away disappointed, but those with a fascination with stand-up comedy and the process of shaping a joke ought to enjoy this documentary. The title Anatomy of a Joke would've given viewers more of an idea what to expect. Though the documentary itself unfortunately doesn't really cry out for multiple viewings, the amount of quality supplemental material makes a purchase more palatable. Comedian is an essential rental for stand-up enthusiasts, and its DVD release is recommended as a purchase.
Much of the cast of the immeasurably popular Seinfeld has maintained a high level of visibility, from churning out critically panned sitcoms to shilling boneless chicken wings. On the other hand, Jerry Seinfeld, a millionaire hundreds of times over, voluntarily dropped off the public radar. True to his word in the HBO special I'm Telling You for the Last Time, Jerry ditched the material he'd spent the past twenty years cultivating. Starting from scratch, one of the world's best-known comics clawed his way towards five awkward minutes of material, which he ceaselessly honed and reshaped. Soon he had fifteen minutes, then twenty, and as he put in an increasing number of appearances at legendary joints like Caroline's and the Gotham Comedy Club, assembling an hour of material didn't seem like such a distant goal. Comedian follows Jerry as he road tests his material, wading through some of the same trenches as relative unknowns. Despite having more cash in the bank than most small countries, he voluntarily endures this torturous process, not out of any sort of financial obligation, but because of the indescribable high of making a crowd burst into laughter.
To compare and contrast with Seinfeld's comedic rebirth is Orny Adams, a rising star on the New York club scene. His swaggering confidence and refusal to accept anything remotely resembling criticism is a stark difference from the professional, polite Seinfeld. When a joke doesn't go over as well as expected for Jerry, he blames himself, taking the opportunity to re-evaluate the wording and timing of his delivery. Orny places the blame squarely on the shoulders of the audience. He also appears to view stand-up as a springboard to something greater, and Orny's bitter and resentful that he's yet to make it in the eyes of the vultures in Los Angeles. The documentary suggests that Orny isn't any more neurotic than the more seasoned comics that appear throughout Comedian; they're just better at hiding it.
Comedian is a good, falling shy of great, documentary. One of its flaws is that the footage with Orny and Jerry isn't masterfully woven together. The documentary consists of lengthy blocks following one comedian, then switching without much of a segueway. The emphasis is much heavier on the concept of a joke and its delivery than the gag itself, and though there is some stand-up footage in Comedian, the limited amount would've been more understandable if the documentary didn't have such a lean runtime. Fifteen months of material had been condensed to less than 78 minutes, providing plenty of room for additional footage of what comedians love about their job instead of just the aggravations. Even if the amount of stand-up remained as-is, I would've been curious to get a more detailed glimpse of the life of a comedian outside of writing and telling jokes.
It's been more than a decade since I first became enamoured with stand-up comedy, and I used to spend hours each weekend ravenously consuming every stand-up TV show that I could, shamelessly lifting the material and weakly retelling it to friends and family. Though I never pursued it more seriously than that (my lack of wit ought to be evident from my reviews), I've long had a great passion for stand-up comedy, and I enjoyed the backstage glimpse Comedian offers. It's not the sort of compelling documentary that I'm likely watch to repeatedly, unlike something along the lines of Radiohead's excellent Meeting People Is Easy. (Coincidentally, both docs have an eerily similar shot of a monitor in a green room, displaying their subjects' performances on Letterman.) Though not perfect, Comedian ought to be of great interest to rabid fans of Seinfeld and stand-up in general. To push the documentary out of merely rental-worthy territory, Miramax Home Video has tacked on a pretty substantial array of supplemental material for its release on DVD.
Video: The full-frame Comedian looks about as good as could be expected, considering that it was shot on a pair of consumer-grade video cameras. Given the quick and dirty photography, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that some shots are buried under an avalanche of video noise, colors are rendered wildly inconsistently, and the image doesn't boast any sort of awe-inspiring level of detail. The presentation is more than passable, but it's obviously not going to rank as reference-quality material for home theater enthusiasts.
Audio: Comedian sports a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, though it doesn't make the most effective use of the six channels at its disposal. The conversations documented are anchored up front, recorded in a similarly guerilla fashion. Particularly in some of the earlier club scenes, there's so much chatter and assorted background noise that Seinfeld and company can be pretty tough to fully discern. The comics are also occasionally buried under the jazzy music present throughout, and these songs are the sole reason the subwoofer and rear channels ever roar to life. The documentary's speakers weren't constantly overwhelmed, but it did present an intermittent annoyance. Thankfully, Miramax has tacked on closed captions and English subtitles, which ought to make those stretches a little easier to wade through.
Comedian also includes a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track.
Supplements: The extras on Comedian begin with a pair of commentary tracks. One features Jerry Seinfeld and Colin Quinn, who spent most of the length of the film making each other laugh. The discussion is pretty light, including such varied topics as muffins, Cirque du Soleil, Barry Katz' pony tail, whether or not leather is appropriate wear for stand-up, and Colin Quinn's fascination/disgust with The Out-Of-Towners. On a slightly more serious, technical note is a second commentary, pairing director Christian Charles and producer Gary Streiner. Their chat is a little more focused, delving into the process of paring down 600 hours of material and the many stumbling blocks that had to be overcome throughout the course of production. The two, who also served as the documentary's cameramen, also discuss why they chose Orny as well as their hopes that they'd catch Jerry bombing. A reference is made to "Orny's commentary", which, for whatever reason, was scrapped somewhere along the way.
Five deleted scenes have been included, with optional audio commentary from the production team of Charles and Streiner. They're closer in quality to what I'd expect from a camcorder than the footage that made it into the final cut, which makes me wonder if the rest of the movie originally looked like this before undergoing some insane digital sweetening. "Fresh Air Fund" (3:35) follows Jerry to his first lengthy set, and it happens to be under the worst of conditions. "Porsche Meet" (1:09) has Jerry not entirely fitting in at...surprise!...a Porsche meet. Jerry is confused about how an almost-discarded bit killed, yet he "Struggles With DNA" (4:00), prompting him to milk an analogy about nursing a baby bird. Jerry's car collection leaps on-screen again in "Volkswagon Trip" (4:15), as he treks cross-country and performs some makeshift repairs. Orny only pops up once in the deleted footage, in the sufficiently self-explanatory "Orny Leaves For L.A." (1:25).
The comprehensive "Advertising" section begins with a letterboxed, non-anamorphic theatrical trailer (1:36) that spoofs the voice-over recording process. The "in a world..." radio spot (1:03) follows along much the same lines. There is also a set of television commercials where Jerry demonstrates the origins of comedy through the drudgery of everyday life. "Cereal", "Office", and "Shower" are letterboxed and run just over 30 seconds in length each. Also included is a shot of the original one-sheet, alongside eight "Wild Posters" with captions like "At last, a film from Miramax that won't win a damn thing." Finally, there are fourteen photos of comic action figures, followed by a still of their dispenser.
Alone worth the price of entry, Jiminy Glick interviews both Jerry Seinfeld (7:08) and Orny Adams (6:37). I haven't given Primetime Glick a fair shot on Comedy Central, but the pair of interviews on this DVD are so hysterical that I'll have to make it a point to check it out. The Letterman appearances excerpted in the movie are included in their entirety. Orny's set was taped on December 13, 2000 and runs just under six minutes in length, and Jerry's from the following March 12th totals seven minutes. Neither appearance is particularly memorable, and Orny's stilted performance didn't get a single laugh from me or my little band of friends.
"Where Is Orny Now?" (2:48) picks up with the comic in Los Angeles, where he chats about a profitable but pointless development deal and the comedic freedom he now enjoys. "Anatomy of a Joke", Comedian's working title, consists of scribbled notes by Jerry, Orny, and Colin Quinn, all of which are pretty much illegible.
Finally, writer Michael Long contributes a set of liner notes. Comedian includes a set of sparse 4x3 menus with some light animation, and the documentary has been divided into eighteen chapters.
Conclusion: Viewers who go into Comedian expecting wall-to-wall laughs will go away disappointed, but those with a fascination with stand-up comedy and the process of shaping a joke ought to enjoy this documentary. The title Anatomy of a Joke would've given viewers more of an idea what to expect. Though the documentary itself unfortunately doesn't really cry out for multiple viewings, the amount of quality supplemental material makes a purchase more palatable. Comedian is an essential rental for stand-up enthusiasts, and its DVD release is recommended as a purchase.
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