Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Joel Gallen

Writer:

Ellen DeGeneres (writer)

Release Date:

23 July 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Documentary

Plot Keywords:

Comedienne | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins

Cast

Ellen DeGeneres

...

Herself

Directed by
Joel Gallen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ellen DeGeneres		writer

Produced by
Kathy Blake	....	associate producer
Ellen DeGeneres	....	executive producer
Joel Gallen	....	executive producer
Frank Garritano	....	line producer

Original Music by
Eban Schletter

Film Editing by
Bill DeRonde

Production Design by
John Calkins

Art Direction by
Leonardo Ortiz

Makeup Department
Kohl Katz	....	makeup artist
Campbell McCaully	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michele Bessey	....	production manager
Christopher Tunney	....	unit manager

Art Department
Gary Lanvy	....	staging supervisor

Sound Department
Bob Aldridge	....	sound engineer
Bob Benedetti	....	utility sound
Vinnie De Maio	....	utility sound
Keith Guadarrama	....	utility sound
Ted Hall	....	post-production sound mixer
Skip Kent	....	sound assistant
Steve Lamphere	....	sound assistant
Bryan Leskowicz	....	sound assistant
Ron Reeves	....	house PA mixer
Jim Washburn	....	utility sound
Drory Yelin	....	utility sound
Shane T. Keller	....	assistant sound engineer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rob Balton	....	camera operator
Allen Branton	....	lighting designer
Alan Buchner	....	video tape operator
Jim Covello	....	camera operator
Dan Denitto	....	crane operator
Dave Eastwood	....	camera operator
Laura Frank	....	lighting director
Paulie Gattoni	....	bml stage lighting crew
Michael T. Goodwin	....	lighting director (as Michael Goodwin)
Charlie Huntley	....	camera operator
Russell Kietel	....	bml stage lighting crew
Kevin Lawson	....	lighting director
John Meiklejohn	....	camera operator
Lyn Noland	....	camera operator
David Oakes	....	gaffer
Bill Philbin	....	camera operator
Mark Sanford	....	video engineer
Lee Watkins	....	bml stage lighting crew
Danny Webb	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Inga Fontayne	....	wardrobe stylist

Editorial Department
Kevin Finn	....	assistant editor
Matt Kitchens	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Rebecca Barron	....	production assistant
Marc Bauman	....	technical manager
Wesley Baynes	....	production assistant
Fredrick R. Bresky	....	production assistant (as Frederick Bresky)
Ghurron Brisco	....	production assistant
Tom Carroll	....	key utility
Chris Conti	....	crew: vari*lite
Michael Dempsey	....	associate director
Pier Dicarlo	....	production assistant
John Ellar	....	crew: vari*lite
Dan Garnett	....	tour manager: Ellen DeGeneres
Kent Green	....	technical director
Peter Kassnove	....	production assistant
Anne Lallier	....	production assistant
Brian Lally	....	production assistant
Tony Melchior	....	production manager: Delsener Slater
Gary Natoli	....	stage manager
Jessica Palmer	....	production assistant
Marina Parker	....	production assistant
Craig Peralta	....	assistant: Ms. DeGeneres
Ryan Pinette	....	assistant to producer
Thomas R. Polleri	....	production assistant (as Tom Polleri)
Jennifer Reinstein	....	production assistant
Michael Sipourene	....	production assistant
Yoram Tal	....	symphony artist (as Tal)
Miguel Vargas	....	production assistant
Anna Pepe Veliu	....	production coordinator (as Anna Pepe)
Patrick J. Barry	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Anne Heche	....	special thanks
Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon	....	special thanks (as Coleman Laffoon)
Michele Laurita	....	special thanks
Leslie Ann Owen	....	special thanks (as Leslie Owen)

Production Companies

• Home Box Office (HBO)

Runtime:

66 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Beacon Theater - 2124 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Quotes:

Ellen DeGeneres: There are things that must be said! And I'm going to say them! For instance, do we really need a 1-800 number on the back of a shampoo bottle?
Ellen DeGeneres: That's right, I said it!
Ellen DeGeneres: [pretending to be reading the back of a shampoo bottle] Rinse and repeat, but how many times?
Ellen DeGeneres: The thing is, if you need to call the 800 number, you can't read anyway!The only thing more pathetic than someone having to call the 800 number on the back of a shampoo bottle is the person who works at the 800 number!
Ellen DeGeneres: [holding her hand up to her ear as if it's a phone] ... It's about the size of a quarter in the palm of your hand... yeah, and rinse and repeat... You're welcome. That's my job... Buh-bye.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Heroes of Comedy: Women on Top" (2003)

(gasp) Aaaaaaw...Timmy, look at the nice lesbian lady, isn't she great

I know I'm probably gonna get a lot of negative votes on this comment, but this was honestly one of the least enjoyable stand-up routines I've ever seen...and I've seen many! So on to my personal reason why I was barely able to watch this till the end:

Ellen to me is like a person in a wheelchair who everybody feels sorry for. Because she got treated badly after she "came out" there's now almost this unwritten obligation and sense of right to applaud to everything she says and does. It's pathetic! I condemn the spiteful reactions towards her coming out & everything, but empathy stops at a certain point. What's happened in Ellen's case is that now her loving and devoted fans are mostly people who've been hurt themselves. So they gobble her every word as if it came from high above...Ellen is to her fans what the AMWAY director is to his devoted fanatical ant workers.

The most she made me was smile on a couple of occasions, but the crowd seemed to want to eat her up. Everything was to-die hysterical to them and I couldn't fathom it. Her material wasn't really bad, but her delivery and timing were painful to watch. She was waaaaay too predictable and what's even worse, she went for the cheapest laughs: "God...is a She" (and the mostly female crowd bursts into applause)

Somewhere towards the end she even steals stuff from other comedians, but by that time I had already begun writing this woeful comment. Why I bothered to watch this till the end I honestly don't know. Maybe it was the empathy in me, trying to want to approve of this woman's comedic skills. She has none!