Comedian (2002)

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.

Director:

Christian Charles

Stars:

Jerry Seinfeld, Greg Giraldo, Chris Rock

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as T Sean Shannon)
Gary Greenberg	...	Comedian
Shawn Seymour	...	Comedian
Richard Spector	...	Comedian
Michael Britt	...	Comedian

Storyline

Fresh from the success of his sitcom, comedian Jerry Seinfeld decided to do the unimaginable: he completely retired his stand-up act, electing to start over again by developing entirely new material. "Comedian" follows Seinfeld through this process, as he rehearses in front of small comedy club audiences, meets with fellow comics and finally appears before a national audience.

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Plot Keywords:

comedian | stand up comedian | comedy club | stool | reference to bill cosby | 

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Taglines:

There are no second acts in American lives. There are, however, a few hecklers.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 2003 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Anatomy of a Joke

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$60,224 (USA) (11 October 2002)

Gross:

$2,744,253 (USA) (20 December 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bridgnorth Films, New Material

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Comedian: I was huge. Bigger than life. I could be anywhere in the world.
[laughter]
Comedian: [Cut to the airport] Nothing makes sense. I should be at St. Bart's. Nothing makes sense.
[Cut back to the stage, in a depressing tone]
Comedian: I'm in a comedy club in Cleveland.
[Back to airport]
Comedian: But that's what's working.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits end, there's a short scene in which Colin Quinn tells Seinfeld a very old joke.

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Connections

References The Appointments of Dennis Jennings (1988)

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Soundtracks

"My Favorite Things"
Written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Published by Williamson Music (ASCAP)
Performed by John Coltrane
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Interesting backstage glimpse at a comic's life

The documentary `Comedian' provides a nuts-and-bolts, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of the stand-up comic. While it features a sea of familiar faces - Ray Romano, Gary Shandling, Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Bill Cosby - making what turn out to be little more than cameo appearances, the film focuses almost exclusively on two figures from the comedy nightclub scene: one well known, Jerry Seinfeld, and the other an up-and-coming, potential new star named Orny Adams. `Comedian' derives much of its meaning from the ironic juxtaposition of these two men. Seinfeld is a man who has managed to achieve what, for any comedian, would be the pinnacle of success – fame, fortune and international celebrity status - yet he still finds himself riddled with personal doubts and feelings of inadequacy every time he gets up to perform on stage. Adams, who has yet to get that `big break,' somehow comes across as much more cocky, arrogant and self-assured than Seinfeld – although Adams, too, confesses that he may indeed be a harsher critic of his own performance than are the members of his audience.

`Comedian' was originally shot on video and transferred to 35 MM film, a fact that accounts for the dark, blurry, grainy quality of the picture. Most of the film's time is spent backstage with the comics as they air their views on their chosen profession, their colleagues, their personal idols, their various demons, their need to perform, their drive for perfection and their harsh, overly critical evaluation of their own skills and talents that often lead them into bouts of serious depression (Adams seems particularly prone to such reactions). These scenes are interspersed with brief snippets of some of their stand-up routines, which, surprisingly, seem rather devoid of laughs (Seinfeld has always struck me as more funny on his TV series than he ever has been on stage). One also notices that the world of the stand-up comedian in this film is strictly an Old Boys Club. Perhaps, we will one day be treated to a sequel entitled `Comedienne' to give the distaff side of the profession its due.

`Comedian' is a very short film – it runs a mere 81 minutes – and, as a result, it feels a little superficial at times and even truncated at the end. We would like to see a bit more of the lives of these two men – Adams, in particular, seems to disappear from the film a bit prematurely – but it is a must-see for anyone interested in this unusual branch of the entertainment field. The film will make you view stand-up comedy in a whole new light.