Comedian (2002)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Christian Charles

Release Date:

July 2003 (Norway)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

If you loved 'Seinfeld', the same guy's in this.

Plot:

A look at the work of two stand-up comics, Jerry Seinfeld and a lesser-known newcomer, detailing the effort and frustration behind putting together a successful act and career while living a life on the road.

Plot Keywords:

Comedy Club | Museum | Surprise After End Credits | Stand Up Comedy | Comedy Festival

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jerry Seinfeld	...	Comedian
Greg Giraldo	...	Comedian (as Greg Geraldo)
Sherrod Small	...	Comedian
Jim Norton	...	Comedian
Allan Havey	...	Comedian
Colin Quinn	...	Comedian
Cynthia Koury	...	Comedian
Orny Adams	...	Comedian
George Wallace	...	Comedian
Robert Klein	...	Comedian
T. Sean Shannon	...	Comedian
Gary Greenberg	...	Comedian
Shawn Seymour	...	Comedian
Richard Spector	...	Comedian
Michael Britt	...	Comedian
Craig Figueiredo	...	Comedian
Nicole Severine	...	Comedian
Nicole Beatty	...	Comedian
Tom Papa	...	Comedian
Mario Joyner	...	Comedian
Ray Romano	...	Comedian
William Stephenson	...	Comedian
Ángel Salazar	...	Comedian
Godfrey	...	Comedian
Dom Irrera	...	Comedian
Gary Valentine	...	Comedian
Chris Rock	...	Comedian
Brad Perry	...	Comedian
Garry Shandling	...	Comedian
Kevin Nealon	...	Comedian
Jay Leno	...	Comedian
Jimmy Brogan	...	Comedian
Bill Cosby	...	Comedian
Mustafa Abuelhija	...	Other Appearance
Manny Dworman	...	Other Appearance
Estee Adoram	...	Other Appearance
Anat Barnes	...	Other Appearance
George Shapiro	...	Other Appearance
Rory Rosegarten	...	Other Appearance
Diane Barnett	...	Other Appearance
Chris Misiano	...	Other Appearance
Chris Mazzilli	...	Other Appearance
Jessica Seinfeld	...	Other Appearance (as Jessica Seinfeld-Sklar)
Michie Mee	...	Other Appearance
Richard Miller	...	Other Appearance
Terry Dimonte	...	Other Appearance
Brett Walkow	...	Other Appearance
Barry Katz	...	Other Appearance
John Johnson	...	Other Appearance
Tom Pecora	...	Other Appearance
Paul Schorsch	...	Other Appearance
Henry Benavides	...	Other Appearance
Mark Magnusson	...	Other Appearance
Daniel McKenna	...	Other Appearance
Michael Nelson	...	Other Appearance
Mike Lacey	...	Other Appearance
Elizabeth Clark	...	Other Appearance
Kevin Dochtermann	...	Other Appearance

Directed by
Christian Charles

Produced by
Amy R. Baird	....	associate producer
Jerry Seinfeld	....	executive producer
Gary Streiner	....	producer

Cinematography by
Christian Charles
Mark Plumber
Gary Streiner

Film Editing by
Chris Franklin

Sound Department
Michael Emery	....	sound
Valerie Junge	....	supervising sound editor
Frank Morrone	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve F.B. Smith	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby

Editorial Department
Jenn Chambers	....	assistant editor
Jen Style	....	assistant editor
Miky Wolf	....	assistant editor
Bill Stephan	....	video to film transfer (uncredited)

Music Department
Chris Franklin	....	music supervisor
Christopher S. Parker	....	music clearances

Other crew
Terran Benveniste	....	production assistant
Omri Green	....	delivery supervisor (uncredited)
Yori Tondrowski	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Bridgnorth Films
• New Material

Distributors

• Europa Filmes (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Miramax Films
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Anatomy of a Joke (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ed Sullivan Theatre - 1697 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bridgnorth Films

Movie Connections:

References Ryder P.I. (1986)

Soundtrack:

If I Were a Bell

Fine documentary about stand-up comedy

This documentary follows Jerry Seinfeld during his efforts to become a working stand-up comedian again, after almost 15 years of absence from the stage. But even for a man his caliber, it's far from an easy job to come back on stage just like that. He's got the cheers upfront because he is a celebrity, but once the initial welcome applause is gone, it's the material that counts. But it seems behind every minute of stand-up comedy is a hundred hours of hard work, with weeks of brainstorming, writing, and trying out new material on hackling audiences. "Twenty minutes in three months", he states. Seinfeld also talks shop with a number of friends and colleagues in the business, including Robert Klein, Ray Romano, Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Jay Leno and Bill Cosby.

Don't expect this documentary to reveal much about the private life of Jerry Seinfeld. He is self-assured and confident - no surprises there - and is always in control. He is only followed when working at his act, but we do get an occasional peek at his wife and kid, for instance before his appearance on the Tonight Show. But this documentary also shows us the struggles of Orny Adams, a young, cocky and insecure comedian, who tries to make to make his mark in show business.

Let me state this now. Orny Adams is not a funny comedian. He's not funny at all. Off-stage, he has a few funny observations, but his act is terrible. But he did invoke some sympathy with me, or empathy, so you will, with a fascinating portrait of his struggles. But I never really understood why they chose him. Obviously, the crew used him for a documentary about Seinfeld, but not on criteria based on comedic talent. To me, it was astonishing and very revealing that Seinfeld never even met Orny Adams before the filming of this project started. I think there is one scene where they meet in a club and have a short conversation. On the DVD Seinfeld casually reveals he never spoke to him again since! Not because they had an argument but probably because he is not in the least interested in Orny Adams. Jerry Seinfeld is well known for not having many friends and not mixing work and private life, but this?

Back to Orny for some final thoughts. I always wondered whether Orny actually was a real guy and not some actor? I still do think he is an actual comedian, but with a name like that? In a restaurant in Montréal, the waitress asks for his name and doesn't believe him and proclaims: "Get out of town. No mother would name her kid Orny." He insists that it is in fact his real name. Well... perhaps one mother did, or it is his stage name. I don't know. Fact is, although he's not funny at all, I liked the portrait and I liked the whole film and found this a fascinating insight in the world of the stand-up comedian. Every Seinfeld-fan has probably seen this already, but I imagine this must be an enjoyable documentary for everyone.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10