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By
TERESSA ELLIOTT
A documentary about the yearlong, post-"Seinfeld," city-to-city stand-up comedy tour of comedian
Jerry Seinfeld, the film is short on actual stand-up bits, but long on the creative process. As such, it's a fascinating
glimpse into show business and what drives entertainers. The audience might think Seinfeld doesn't need to do more
stand-up with his fame and millions, but after watching "Comedian," you'll discover that once an entertainer, always an
entertainer.
The film also has other comedians briefly weighing in on what makes a comic tick: Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Colin
Quinn and Jay Leno (Leno talks about how he still worries he might lose everything even with the successful "Tonight
Show"). The film also profiles an up-and-coming comic (Orny Adams). Comparing his life with Seinfeld's is intriguing --
especially since the same drive is present in both even though one has ostensibly "made it" and the other is yearning
for what the other guy has achieved.
The extras are interesting as well: a director's/producer's commentary, a commentary with Seinfeld and Quinn (which is
funny, but Quinn's accent is sometimes hard to decipher), Adams' and Seinfeld's complete Letterman appearances (fun to
compare the two), deleted scenes, and Jiminy Glick's (aka Martin Short's) interviews with Seinfeld and Adams. The less
interesting extras are the complete advertising campaign (includes trailers, commercials, etc.), a short "Where is Orny
Now?", and actual notes re a stand-up act from Seinfeld, Quinn and Adams -- which would have been interesting had we
been able to read the notes on the television screen. |
