Comedian
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.
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- Cast:
- Jerry Seinfeld , Orny Adams , Greg Giraldo , Jim Norton , Allan Havey , Colin Quinn , George Wallace
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Reviews
I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
the audience applauded
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
This is a documentary which covers two stand up comedians; Jerry Seinfeld and Orny Adams. It shows just how difficult a job being a stand up comedian must be. You get to see some great comedians like Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Bill Cosby and Garry Shandling. My only real criticism is that about 1/3 maybe even 1/2 of the documentary covers Orny Adams. I think they wanted to get a newer lesser known comic to contrast with the already well established Seinfeld. I think this was a mistake. I had no idea who Orny was. He really is not that funny and most importantly he is very unlikable. He is cocky, rude, insecure and already very angry and bitter. All of the stuff with Jerry and the other comics is great though. If you just fast forward all of the Orny parts it is a great documentary.
Seinfeld was a flagship of NBC's Must See TV, and this documentary about Jerry Seinfeld (and Orny Adams) is must see for sure even if you never watched Seinfeld.Even though Mr Seinfeld was on top after his hit series Seinfeld, and wouldn't have to worry about paying the bills or flying coach, this documentary detailed the insecurity he had in rebooting his stand-up career. I think in the documentary someone said that an aspiring stand-up comic is given only a minute to prove their worth on stage before the audience turns on you (or turns away). Jerry's mega-fame only gave him three minutes believe it or not to demonstrate to the fickle stand-up crowd he has what it takes.What surprised me was how the audience and stand-up staff didn't get all celebrity starry-eyed when they saw Mr Seinfeld.I also liked the Orny Adams subplot, as he seeks to establish a footing. It's good to see him doing well, and playing the coach in Teen Wolf, the TV series.The director's commentary is definitely worth listening to.
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
I like Jerry, his humour appeals to me. But what the hell was going on in this pseudo-documentary? Jerry with his private jet at his disposal is executive producer and doesn't spring for a cinematographer to take this out of the realm of a home movie - poorly shot, dimly lit and so badly cut I felt a migraine coming on. He wants our sympathy, all these comedians do, whether multi-millionaires (Cosby, Leno) or not. Their angst over their material is palpable. One up and coming comedian is depicted and his selfishness and poor attitude does not engender any warmth whatsoever. A waste of film. No meat, no potatoes in any of it. A hollow empty feeling. 4 out of 10. Avoid.