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Comedian (R1)
DVD Review:
Comedian is a candidly revealing, intimately observed and often very funny look at what it takes to be a comedian, chronicling Jerry Seinfeld's struggle in a comeback to the profession. Comedian also discovers the sharp wit of rising young comic Orny Adams -- outspoken, insecure and fanatical about becoming the "next big thing."
Critique
If you thought ‘Comedian’ was something to laugh at, think again. This film is a documentary of Jerry Seinfeld – notorious for his widely syndicated self-titled sitcom – and his return to stand-up comedy. Things aren’t always fun for these ‘professionals’, in fact this film shows that stand up comics rarely live in a state of comity rather they’re constantly self-criticizing their act, their lives and most of all their profession. After all, with a title like ‘Comedian,’ you’d think this movie would be funny – and I’ll admit that while it does have its moments – getting the audience laughing is not the intention of director Christian Charles. Jerry Seinfeld is a name that is infamous amongst everyone, and if you’ve never heard of the comedy Seinfeld (funniest show on TV people) then you’ll probably not appreciate the hardships that Seinfeld put upon himself to maintain integrity and to keep his funnies fresh.
And with a main focal point set the film delves into the backseat as Jerry takes the plunge, focusing not only on his return but on the hardships of other comedians as well – including a young up-and-coming Orny Adams. Orny’s story helps exemplify these difficulties comedians face and parallels Seinfeld’s return as he too faces the same kinds of challenges after ‘making it’. Orny provided some depth to the film – he is a very egocentric and self-centered personality who never seems to find happiness with his success. Orny has the innate problem of looking too far ahead into the future and not appreciating the present – a flaw which is brought up by many people around him. He picks apart his performances and his life in a morose and jackass kind of manner throughout this film - be it in light of success or failure. Orny is a great addition to the movie for several reasons but mainly because he is a prime example of a comedian who wants the status that Jerry Seinfeld attained, a status which Seinfeld in comparison gave up in the end to follow the treacherous waters of stand-up once again.
I did find this film to be pretty fascinating at times, not only as a look a Jerry’s return but as a peek into a dog-eat-dog world where you can either succeed or starve in many cases. Here is the story of a man whose show is still missed sorely by millions – he is a man who gave up the glamour and infamy to go back to endless nights of being cheered or heckled by alcohol fuelled patrons of smoky comedy clubs. Seinfeld’s return becomes more intriguing as we learn that shortly after his HBO special all of his old material was retired so he could start out fresh. We learn that his first performance was a mere five minutes. The ditching of that material is also a feat which every comic he encounters in this movie holds him in awe of him for.
The film has its share of problems. For one, I thought that it glorifies the hardships put onto Seinfeld a little too much. Let’s face it – if Jerry’s comedy return wasn’t as triumphant so to speak, I don’t think that he be starving – or having difficulties finding a home on a television series for that matter. Comedians even resent him a little for how much leniency he receives from the audience because of who he is. Still, I duly admit that this man does go out there and gives it his all throughout, and in comparison to Orny Adams, Seinfeld comes off cool as a cucumber – even when he isn’t so sure of himself.
This film documents the agonizing process of writing a bit that will keep the audience laughing, listening and entertained for as long as possible. It’s not an easy job, nor is it as glamorous as you’d think it would be. For fans of stand up, Comedian includes cameos by all sorts of infamous names – including Jay Leno, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock and Bill Cosby. I enjoyed this film and while I felt that it may not have been the ‘tell-all’ story of the ups and downs in the stand-up industry, it chose a story and told it well.
7 out of 10
The Video
This film was shot on handheld digital cameras for the most part – and it shows. This is a documentary, so I suppose it wouldn’t be complete without that visual ‘nitty gritty’ aspect. The film is presented in Full Frame (1.33:1) and really there aren’t too many quips I can recall with the transfer taking into consideration the intention of this film and the materials used in the filming process. There are many dank and dark lounges and bars in this film and that’s really when the grain shows, but it’s really a product of the process and not the fault of the DVD.
6 out of 10
The Audio
On the audio side there are Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 tracks included. The surround track has most of the dialogue centered around those front speakers, using the rears for the jazzy soundtrack that helps keep this film pacing along. Sometimes the dialogue is a little subdued for my liking, most likely due again to the equipment and techniques they used (especially considering this film was sometimes shot in some very noisy bars).
7 out of 10
The Extras
The bonus features on this disc are actually quite surprising, and fans of supplemental features will find that this Miramax release isn’t shy on them. The scene-specific audio commentary by Seinfeld and Colin Quinn is a fairly decent listen. There are many jokes shared between the two in conversation, but this is really two friends having a casual conversation about the film and not all that revealing on the actual film itself. Don’t worry though; Miramax has thrown in a second audio commentary by director Christian Charles and producer Gary Streiner. This is the filmmaker’s commentary and it goes into much more depth on the origin of the film, its locations and its meaning.
Five deleted scenes that run just shy of ten minutes also include optional director/producer commentary. These scenes are interesting, and more interesting are the commentaries on why they were cut. I should mention that I found these two men to be a little more frank and up front with their views on the film and it definitely made their commentaries a little more interesting.
The advertising campaign for Comedian was fairly clever and it’s a pleasure that the DVD gives it a nod. The teaser trailer for comedian is definitely unique in its own right and I admit that it was what first got me interested in this film. TV spots and a radio spot also fill out the campaign and the disc also includes all of the one-sheets used in the marketing of this film.
Jimmy Glick Interviews are interviews that have been created specially for this DVD. They feature the talk show host Glick (played by Martin Short) interviewing Orny Adams and Jerry Seinfeld. Frankly this isn’t the best Glick interview I’ve seen but it’s definitely a worthwhile addition to the disc. This interview is presented in a clean full-frame transfer.
Orny Adams and Jerry Seinfeld are both featured in the appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman. Both spots are pretty funny, but I preferred Seinfeld’s a little more. These are also presented in a grainer full-frame video transfer. Where is Orny Now? is a feature on this very self-centered comedian which tells the truth of what Mr. Adams has achieved (or not achieved as he sees it) since the film. The final feature on the disc is The Anatomy of a Joke which is snippets of notes from the three main comics featured in this film – Orny Adams, Colin Quinn and Jerry Seinfeld. They really should have included that Ozzy translator with this disc as most of the notes are pretty hard to follow and don’t really give any insight into what it takes to be funny.
8 out of 10 Overall
This disc has a little bit of everything for fans of comedy. The supplemental features are there for those of you who didn’t enjoy the flick, but I really did enjoy this film enough to recommend it. It may not have been the ‘tell-all’ story of the stand-up, but it chose a story and told it fairly well.
Review originally appeared on DVDork.com
RATINGS SUMMARY
THE MOVIE
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