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The riveting Comedian follows Jerry Seinfeld as he develops new material, but it's not a concert film. Comedy is hard work, and not all comedians are stand-up guys.
By STEVE PERSALL, Times Film Critic
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 1, 2002
The best show in a comedy club often is in the back of the room, as far from the stage as possible, where stand-ups gather and gossip and sometimes wonder why they're doing this gig. That's where comedians try out new jokes on each other and comment on how the guy on stage is doing, hoping they'll do better.
Some know they will. Others aren't so certain.
Comedian is a documentary turning the tables and chairs around in comedy clubs nationwide as Jerry Seinfeld makes a daring comeback. Why would someone with millions in the bank and a place in TV history junk his entire act and start building a 60-minute set from scratch? For the same reasons people break speed records and work on space stations, but with much more self-doubt.
Even a pro such as Seinfeld feels insecure about the process, a measure of how tough the business is. "You get a bit of a break up front," he confides, "then you still have to be funny." Dying on stage is easy because comedy is so hard. Comedian isn't a Seinfeld ego trip because egos can be shattered in the time it takes to blow a punch line, as he does in a priceless scene capped by a heckler: "Is this your first gig?" Afterward, Seinfeld mopes as if it is.
Most of the film takes place at those back tables where Seinfeld shoots the breeze about the comedy process with buddies such as Chris Rock, Colin Quinn, Ray Romano and Garry Shandling. Not like actors do, with puffed-up false modesty about their work. What we see here is more like deflated hopes that can be pumped up again when the emcee calls your name. These people are funny, but it's never enough.
Rock marvels when Seinfeld mentions he has 20 minutes of solid material after three months on the road making unannounced club appearances. Then, Rock mentions he saw Bill Cosby do two hours without a break (for the second time that day) and both comedians stand in awe, shamed by their relative writer's block. Later, Seinfeld practically sits at Cosby's feet like a disciple, then leaves the chat feeling resurrected.
Director Christian Charles also tells the parallel story of Orny Adams, an overbearing up-and-comer signed by Seinfeld's manager and still impolite to his mentor. Adams won't take advice and always boasts about what he'll do instead of polishing what he did. When he tells Seinfeld he's opening his set with a new joke and shuffling his topics order, the experienced comedian's expression is the same as if Adams said he swallowed poison. Seinfeld later tells Quinn that he won't make "that rookie mistake of opening with new material" and we know what he really thinks.
Adams gets a shot on the Letterman show and gripes about being asked to change a word and do his best joke without the right prop. Someone finally tells him to just shut up and make people laugh and you want to kiss the guy. This movie will probably help Adams' career but who will want to work with him?
That kind of inside detail is what Comedian is all about. Don't look for a concert film (as numerous walk-outs at Tuesday's screening did), and be prepared for a washed-out look, as it was shot on two digital home-video cameras Charles purchased at Circuit City. Some riffs are repeated too often or run too long, but what stand-up comedian hasn't done that?
As someone with a little experience long ago in the game, I think Comedian is a brutally honest depiction of what it takes to be funny and what that takes out of anyone. "I never felt pain until I started doing comedy," Adams says. By the fade-out, we know exactly what he means.
Director: Christian Charles
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Orny Adams, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Ray Romano, Bill Cosby
Rating: R; profanity
Running time: 81 min.
Grade: A-