Rating: 
Summary: Interesting study of stand up comedians
Review: 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 comic 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.
Rating: 
Summary: a sharp and stinging piece of business
Review: "Comedian" chronicles Jerry Seinfeld's return to the comedy club circuit after dismantling his sitcom in 1998 and retiring his well-honed live routines in the HBO special "I'm Telling You For The Last Time." And though the documentary has lots of stand-up comedy, as well as appearances by comics such as Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Garry Shandling, Robert Klein and Bill Cosby, this is not really a concert movie. It's actually a glimpse into the business of entertaining and the process behind making an audience laugh. "Comedian" is a funny movie, but it's really more about the humor of anxiety and self-doubt than punch lines.
Shot on digital video by Christian Charles (who directed Seinfeld's snappy American Express commercials) and crammed with excellent jazz and pop music, the movie follows Seinfeld and a young comic named Orny Adams as they hit the road, work on new material and perform on "Late Night With David Letterman." Adams -- keyed-up and hypersensitive -- doesn't fare as well as Jerry but given that he's sharing space in a movie with one of the most popular television personalities in history, he kind of has the deck stacked against him. And yes, Seinfeld, after being out of the spotlight for a while, does remain an interesting personality, even more so when caught on a relatively candid camera (Jerry curses?). His backstage conversations with Leno, Cosby, Rock and Colin Quinn reveal a guarded camaraderie, and fans who spent a significant chunk of the '90s chuckling at the misadventures of Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine will probably find it amusing that Seinfeld still actively worries he'll bomb in front of a crowd. But for all Seinfeld's agonized fretting over writing jokes and winning the audience's approval, anybody who puts in 40-plus hours a week at an office probably won't find much sympathy for a guy who has been given hundreds of millions of dollars doing the very thing he loves to do. Nevertheless, "Comedian" is a sharp, insightful, wry and occasionally stinging piece of business.
Rating:
Summary: Orny rhymes with corny. Remember that.
Review: I thought this was an overall very interesting piece of work. It was particularly entertaining to see Jerry Seinfeld - JERRY SEINFELD for chrissakes! - struggling with his act on stage and getting nervous, etc... It must be rough to go from having one of the best shows on television to doing stand up again, and I had to keep reminding myself that he chose to do things that way. To wit: we see Jerry jetting off to his gigs in his obviously private plane, and you know most comics who are "starting out" are lucky to get tickets in coach. So it's a struggle, but certainly not make it or break it financially for Seinfeld. Great cast of comics throughout the film (Cosby, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Gary Shandling, Ray Romano to name a few), with the exception of one particularly annoying person - Orny Adams. Man, what a live wire. Seriously wound waaaaaaaay too tight, he spends most of the movie freaking out about himself, insulting his audience once he's off stage and just generally being annoying. Somehow, he manages to land George Shapiro as his manager, so I guess he doesn't suck that much, but what is shown of Corny Orny in the film is not flattering. I'm reducing the rating on this one to three stars because of Orny. 4 stars if he weren't in it.
Rating:
Summary: Getting to the Joke
Review: Jerry Seinfeld can do most anything and I would laugh, but this documentary came close to the limit. A behind the scenes look at stand up comedy and the struggles of both superstars and wannabes. To see Jerry swear was new, to see Jerry with other comedians was cool, but on the road, on stage, in the wings, on his jet, were all interesting, but not very entertaining. Though documentaries intend to provoke thought, not necessarily entertain and the fact Comedian does both makes this film satisfying. Comedians are all insecure and tortured with the exception of Bill Cosby. The wannabe in the film is Orny Adams, who shows the ugly and unpleasant side of the business and his personality. He is a bad man. More than anything else Comedian shows Jerry is not much different than his SitCom character. He is a funny guy that made it big, but not much different from anybody else. The DVD special features were a bonus especially the Jiminy Glick interviews. md Michael Duranko
www.bootism.com
Rating: 
Summary: Glick Fix!!!
Review: I love that, hah haaah!!! The special features on Comedian have Jiminy Glick - twice-ah!!! Glick interviews Gerry Steinfeld, and also chats it up-ah with Horny Adams (*not* a prop comic - ha haaah!). Jiminy gets into great depth, in a way the documentary *tries* to do. I love it!! Okay, the main feature: It's a cold world, and comedians must bare their soul up on stage, naked if you will. (Unless you have a melon smasher!). So Steinfeld humbles himself, going back into the real world that he knows. Athletes call it muscle memory... you just have to recondition, and it'll all come back. Steinfeld steps back in smooth to the world. But besides getting adulation, he absorbs/stomachs some negativity ("What are you doing here!"), rather than throw it back. He's truly polite, later taking some TUMS for the human team. Then there's Horny... an edgy guy! He's bold, he's brash-uh! He's like a young Corey Hart, who wore sunglasses at night, *before* it was safe! On stage in front of strangers (drunk, bored, ticked) with nothing but his craft, a comedian needs some armor. And Horny's armor is prickly! Ha haah! (He even jokes about diseases! Based on a bus sign that no one has ever seen... in homage to the classic "1 out of 3 people are/have X. If the person on either side of you ain't it, it's you! Ha Haah!) All the best to Horny and Steinfeld as they try to make it in the laugh business. This documentary is disconcerting, and cold, and has a lonely feel -- it's all as dark as going solo in the world with nothing but yourself and your ideas to count on. And you must protect yourself, while opening up night after night, after night. So much freedom, so little security. These guys are incredibly brave-uh! These days, so much of show-biz folk are getting smooth makeovers. But Steinfeld shows the true rough side. And we benefit.... Okay, back to Jiminy Glick. Does anybody have the tape? I heard there's a tape out there... looks like it's filmed through night goggles.... And it shows Jiminy and Dixie doin' some luuuvin'!!! Ha Hahhh!
Rating:
Summary: a sharp and stinging piece of business
Review: "Comedian" chronicles Jerry Seinfeld's return to the comedy club circuit after dismantling his sitcom in 1998 and retiring his well-honed live routines in the HBO special "I'm Telling You For The Last Time." And though the documentary has lots of stand-up comedy, as well as appearances by comics such as Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Garry Shandling, Robert Klein and Bill Cosby, this is not really a concert movie. It's actually a glimpse into the business of entertaining and the process behind making an audience laugh. "Comedian" is a funny movie, but it's really more about the humor of anxiety and self-doubt than punch lines.
Shot on digital video by Christian Charles (who directed Seinfeld's snappy American Express commercials) and crammed with excellent jazz and pop music, the movie follows Seinfeld and a young comic named Orny Adams as they hit the road, work on new material and perform on "Late Night With David Letterman." Adams -- keyed-up and hypersensitive -- doesn't fare as well as Jerry but given that he's sharing space in a movie with one of the most popular television personalities in history, he kind of has the deck stacked against him. And yes, Seinfeld, after being out of the spotlight for a while, does remain an interesting personality, even more so when caught on a relatively candid camera (Jerry curses?). His backstage conversations with Leno, Cosby, Rock and Colin Quinn reveal a guarded camaraderie, and fans who spent a significant chunk of the '90s chuckling at the misadventures of Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine will probably find it amusing that Seinfeld still actively worries he'll bomb in front of a crowd. But for all Seinfeld's agonized fretting over writing jokes and winning the audience's approval, anybody who puts in 40-plus hours a week at an office probably won't find much sympathy for a guy who has been given hundreds of millions of dollars doing the very thing he loves to do. Nevertheless, "Comedian" is a sharp, insightful, wry and occasionally stinging piece of business.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!
Review: This is not only the humorous trials of of a creative man, but it's an amazing learning tool for anyone who wishes to pursue becoming a professional comedian. Buy it or rent it! You won't go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Strange insight into comedy
Review: While watching this film, I was struck by how self-defeating and self-absorbed these comedians really are. Immediately after each performance, they dice themselves to pieces backstage and then go home to watch the tape to critique themselves more. I just have 2 questions: why feature Orny Adams? and why should we care about him?!?!?!
Rating: 
Summary: Comedian??
Review: I recently watched this DVD and was severely disappointed. As a Seinfeld fan I was looking for laughs and entertainment. I found no observational humor and there wasn't anything to laugh about. Some could argue that the reason for it's "amateur" feel is to be artistic and show a larger meaning...but it doesn't do anything for the movie. It became quite annoying after awhile, kind of how you feel after watching a friend's home video: unsteady, poor quality, not interesting whatsoever and all you want to do is leave. Portions of stand up were shown and all that was heard was the punchline - leaving nothing for viewers. Pieces of conversations were also shown, and sometimes it was hard to understand because they were talking in a noisy setting. I don't recommend this at all. It was absolutely painful to watch. If your looking for a stand up routine, or a funny behind the scenes look at comedy - DON'T watch this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Excruciating
Review: This film was truly bad. I am not an expert critic who has studied in Film School and knows everything about how documentaries should be and are. I know that alot of documentaries are fun, funny, sometimes exciting, and interesting. This was none of these. I went to see the movie with my father, at the time, the only movies that seemed worthy of viewing were this, and Bowling For Columbine. Both were not advertised much and seemed very vague in the trailers. We chose Comedian because we were fans of Seinfeld's work on "Seinfeld" and of his stand-up routine. This movie had very bad picture and sound quality, not that much of a problem unless you're watching it in a thaeter with LOUD SPEAKERS for LOUD SOUND. Also, we were expecting to hear jokes, and stuff about jokes and comedy. Each joke was cut off right before the punchline, leaving us hanging with an empty joke or story-joke. Jerry and "Orny"'s talking was at times, barely audible, incoherent, or just not interesting. Ray Romano and Jerry Seinfeld managed to sneak a funny joke or two into the movie, the rest were cut off. We didn't even wait for the movie to end. This was in fact, the first movie I have EVER walked out of. Luckily, Bowling For Columbine was next door, so we snuck in there as the previews had ended, and that was a decision I will never ever regret. I am no critic, I merely speak for the semiaverage moviegoer who expects action, or mystery, or adventure, or horror, or comedy, or even one guy telling a spectacular story. To put it into "Simple-people-talk"; Comedian sucked.
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