Comedian (2002)

Director:

Christian Charles

Release Date:

July 2003 (Norway)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

You'll laugh, you'll cry. And it'll be because you missed the point completely.

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 | Surprise After End Credits | Ambition | Stand Up Comedy | Museum

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
Christopher 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:

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

Quotes:

Comedian:The equivalent for a normal person would be to go into work each day in your underwear and try and do your job that you normally do. All of a sudden you can't do anything. That's how a comedian feels when he's doing a new bit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Lament 1 (Bird's Lament)

Seinfeld's's struggle

I have watched this twice and it seems you have to personally want/need to entertain to appreciate it. The process of performing or a performance is both immensely nerve racking and ultimately very satisfying. Comedian will draw you in to that process as opposed to entertaining you as a viewer with stand-up comedy. The main quest is the pursuit of a lengthy comedy act. Seinfeld's personal struggle is not intensely dramatic or humorous but rather very compelling to you the performer; "how can I validate myself all over again when I don't need the money, what am I here for?" I would recommend this to anyone who wants to do stand-up or sketch comedy or theater, or any other live performance for that matter. If this is you then you will appreciate the process Seinfeld goes through because it is the journey back to his calling, what made Seinfeld matter to you and me.