Comedian

Rating:
Summary: What's Not to Like?
Review: What's not to like? Some of the reviews indicated that there was disapointment with the amount of actual stand up comedy. Others were not satisified that the documentary did not go more in depth into the lives of Jerry Seinfeld and Orny Adams.

It is a documentary about comedians. It's not Shakespeare, after all. If it showed a whole stand up routine, people wouldn't want to watch the rest of it which is really the best stuff. The film shows scenes from the routine but focuses on the feelins and anxieties of the stand ups--something I haven't seen on film before.

For those that are interested, the DVD does get pretty in depth with the commentary and deleted scenes. The commentary by Jerry and Colin Quinn as well as from director Christian Charles and producer Gary Streiner explore and further explain the background, the comedic life, and the feelings of the comeidians.

The contrast between Jerry and Orny is covered in the commentary. Jerry, having already "made it" with his own TV show wants to become a success at stand up once again. Orny wants to move on from stand up to his own TV show. Orny is a compelling person. As he states, he's been doing comedy for years and struggles while he sees his friends moving up in life--making money, getting married, having kids, etc.

It's simple, yet profound.

One more thing: the music is incredible. It's got Mingus, Coltrain, Joabim, the list goes on.

Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Misunderstood by a great many people
Review: i dont normally post reviews on this website, but seeing all these misinformed opinions was driving me nuts

the movie, as others have mentioned, follows Seinfeld and an unknown Adams around as they try to perfect their act both in NYC and around the country. the beauty of this movie is in the emotional nakedness that both comedians show us, exactly when they dont want to. orny adams is on the surface an overconfident and overbearing jerk, but what i saw and felt beneath that (and what i believe is meant to be felt) is his tremendous vulnerability, his lack of self-confidence, and ironically the incredible depression that he has trying to make a name for himself. as for jerry, we see that even with all his fame and fortune, he still is as nervous and unprepared as ever and is still emotionally dependent on the audience for so much.

through both of these men, the viewer gets an oftentimes haunting look into the offbeat lifestyle of the standup comic. interestingly, we see that these mens personality flaws drive them to have the success they have, and that in reality being funny is frequently not that fun at all. what comes through is the pain and the sweat and the rejection needed for the craft, and it is the truth of all of that which makes this movie truly incredible

Rating:
Summary: Could've been something more
Review: Do not rent or buy 'Comedian' hoping for 82 minutes of Jerry Seinfeld doing his classic stand-up routines. Because you'll really only get about half an hour of stand-up, and only half of that is from Mr. Seinfeld. Although this documentary stars Seinfeld, it also features numerous other comedians such as Colin Quinn and Orny Adams. What this "movie" is attempting to do is two things. One: it is trying to give us (the viewer) a psychological look at how rough it is to make it in the stand-up business. Two: Jerry Seinfeld is attempting to start from scratch with his material and make a comeback in the comedian scene.

Sadly, those two aspects of the "movie" (it's easier to write movie than documentary) don't always clash well. I don't think I'm alone when I say more stand-up should've been featured. Yes, there are a number of hilarious routines, but most of them are cut short and don't quite make it past three minutes. It's very tedious, and after one hour, you'll be wishing it was already over. It's very clear they could've done a bit more with this. Of the few high points within the DVD, some of the extras are rather interesting. The interviews Seinfeld and Orny Adams did with Jiminy Glick are priceless. And some of the deleted scenes were pretty funny. Why they didn't include them is beyond me; the movie's only 82 minutes long to begin with.

In conclusion, be tentative in purchasing this. At least rent it first. The movie does a decent job with backstage thoughts about preparing for stand-up, but it's deceiving because the stand-up never really takes place. It's like they left out the climax. Diehard Jerry Seinfeld fans will surely enjoy watching him attempt a whole new routine, but probably won't enjoy seeing much of the toffee-nosed Orny Adams. Proceed with caution...

Rating:
Summary: Misleading, disappointing, uninteresting, unfunny...
Review: What else can I say? This film was advertised in a rather vague way that kind of led me to believe that the majority of the film would be Jerry Seinfeld performing stand up. There is very little performance by Seinfeld in this film. It's more of a contrast of Seinfeld "starting over" on a tour where he is performing new material and a study of an up and coming comedian named Orney Adams. Whether or not Adams is funny is strictly a matter of opinion and there are a few laughs from Seinfeld's material. There would be more laughs if more material were presented. The film is short but you may actually feel it's not short enough. It's presented in a dark, grainy, 35mm film quality with camera work that often seems less than professional. Often times dialogue is obscured by extraneous noise or background music. This film will try your patience. I could see this being presented as a short documentary on public television, but as a theatrical release it was a travesty. As a DVD it seems pointless to own. As a loyal fan of Jerry Seinfeld's work, I hate to say it, but this is simply a terrible film.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Misleading
Review: As others have said, this film is not a comedy, nor is it in anyway a show (like the brilliant, "I'm telling you for the last time") and even if you love Jerry's material immensely, you could be forgiven for feeling a little misled.
It is a very good documentary on what it takes to make it as a comedian in a very unforgiving and competetive business, and really is a film of two halves. We follow Jerry in one half of the movie as he retraces his roots, and attempts in a very short space of time to go back and work up from 10 minute Club routines, all the way to an hour long performance with completely new material. The other half of the movie has another up and coming (we think) comedian Orny Adams, and his struggles and pressures as he trys to make the big time. Unfortunately for me, despite the real "fly on the wall" direction, I found myself really not caring about the young Mr Adams, who appears rude, spoiled, arrogant, self absorbed and completely neurotic, and began to wonder why half the movie was dedicated to him, when the title on the box says - Jerry Seinfeld Comedian. In fact, to prove this point, one of the "extra's" is a short piece entitled "Where is Orny Now?" - considering this film was made over a year ago, and I'd never heard of him before watching, I guess you can figure out the answer.
The DVD has some saving graces however, with a couple of worthy deleted scenes, movie trailers, a good commentary selection plus the Letterman performances by both of the movie stars, amongst other things. However, sadly the whole thing get's a little numbing, and although I really wanted to rate this movie better,I couldn't. Truth is, most people will buy this hoping to see Jerry and his material, and then find as I did the very frustrating habit it has of cutting from scene to scene, just as you are beginning to actually see or hear his material. I found the other comedians shown to be weak for the most part (especially Mr Adams)and tried to savor the odd glimpses of very funny material, making the best of a bad hand, so to speak. Enjoy the movie, but don't expect too many laughs.

Rating:
Summary: Misleading and not Funny
Review: For starters, the DVD cover is misleading. Nowhere on the cover does it say anything about being a documentary, which is what it is. I was having a rough day, and I went to rent a pick-me-up video and saw a new Jerry Seinfeld DVD. I was very excited because Jerry is one of my favorites, and I though for sure I'd be assuring myself an evening of side-splitting laughter.

Instead, I kept thinking this documentary stuff would surely lead to a good 30-45 minute stand-up routine. It seemed that about 40-50% of the DVD was consumed by the self-absorbed (and immature) Orny Adams. I thought, "Who is this guy, and why do they fill so much time of a Jerry Seinfeld DVD with a behind the scenes of Orny?" He certainly wasn't anything spectacular, and we got to hear the same stale jokes throughout the entire documentary.

I think we got to hear a few lines of jokes from Jerry, but not worth all the time wasted trying to filter through all the other mess. If I wanted a documentary, I'd watch E! or something like that on TV. Who doesn't pick up a Jerry Seinfeld DVD expecting to laugh?

There were extras on the DVD. A Jiminy Glick spot for Seinfeld, and one for Orny. Both were somewhat annoying, but certainly more amusing than any one part of the documentary. Also, the DVD had each comedian's stand-up clips from when they appeared on Letterman, which was good, but brief and mostly the same stuff we'd seen in the documentary.

One bonus feature I didn't bother with was the Deleted Scenes. I figured I didn't like what made it into the documentary, so how good could the stuff that didn't make it be?

If you aren't looking forward to laughing, then this DVD might be for you. It isn't extremely informative and doesn't really provide a lot of insight into Jerry's life, and it certainly isn't funny.

I can sum it up like this: Jerry still likes stand-up and goes all around looking for places to do his bits. He also still gets nervous, he has a private Jet, and he hangs out with other comics such as Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, and Bill Cosby.
Orny Adams, also a comic perfectionist is overly sensative to feedback from both audiences and comic veterans, and takes it personally instead of using it to improve his career. He has attitude, and a couple of funny jokes, but not worthy of the amount of time he got on a DVD labeled with Jerry Seinfeld's name. This DVD is a dud.

Rating:
Summary: Great For Insomniacs
Review: "You can't get bigger than me" - Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld has obviously forgotten about Bill Cosby, George Burns or Richard Pryor -- and countless other comedians who have gone far beyond Seinfeld in their respectvive career field. This film is an obvious attempt to booster the ego of a once funny comedian who is now relizing his past is just that - the past. His comedy is labored and poor. It does show how much Michael Richards, Jason Alexander and Julia Louis Dreyfus carried the show for all those years.

For some reason Seinfeld chose to feature the most untalented comic working the clubs today. This was either because Seinfeld realizes his comedy has gone down hill and wants to show untalented competition, or worse - he thinks this guy is funny. Orny Adams (a name you will soon forget) is a struggling (obviously) comedian who apparently believes he deserves the world. Adams has no timing and no material deserving of even a faint chuckle. If you take out all of Adams' appearences, as well as all of the ego-building that Seinfeld does for himself, you may have a documentary worth watching... If you want to be a comedian or have an interest in the comedy process - other than that, save your money.

Rating:
Summary: Comedy is Pain
Review: COMEDIAN is about the life of a standup comedian, and happens to focus on Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld's story: He's retiring his old act (which culminated in that live, HBO special a few years back) and is trying out new jokes, slowly building up to a 45 minute set. There's more stories in COMEDIAN. Orny Adams (what a name!) is the antithesis of Seinfeld. He's desperate for stardom. He desires his own television show like Seinfeld. And he's the most obsessive comic you will see -- he keeps a catalog of his jokes, organized by subject, date, etc.

COMEDIAN is a fascinating look at the lives of these hardworking joke-tellers. Jeez, these have to be the hardest working guys in show business! Everyone (including Jay Leno, who has the cushiest job on TV!) fears that they'll "lose it" if they don't keep doing live dates.

COMEDIAN is not a laugh-riot. In fact, it's just the opposite. It shows that comedy is a very serious business. It is painful to watch Seinfeld bomb onstage. He forgets his joke! He gets lost in the middle of it, wonders the stage trying to regain his train of thought, and consults his notes (yes! Comics make very detailed notes for their acts). An audience member yells out, "Is this your first gig, love?" Oy, you could just die!

Watch COMEDIAN if you are interested in the life of a standup. Don't expect Seinfeld doing his standup act. That comes later ... COMEDIAN is about how that act gets developed.

Comedy is pain.

Rating:
Summary: Watch the Creative Process at Work
Review: Upon completion of his wildly successful TV show, Seinfeld took some time off to "do nothing," as he said in his Letterman stand-up appearance. He also decided to challenge himself by scrapping all the stand-up material he had used all these years and reinvent himself. In this wonderful documentary, we watch as Seinfeld develops new material in the clubs on New York City, as well as a couple of surprise appearances at clubs around the country. The documentary culminates with Seinfeld's first headlining appearance on a large stage. In between, we watch the artist work on material, chat it up with fellow comics such as Colin Quinn and Chris Rock, and generally deal with the angst and doubt that is inevitable as the artist creates. With surprising honesty, we watch Jerry bomb on stage as he forgets his train of thought, deal with hecklers, and shape his material into verbal sculpture. It is a joy to watch this professional working without a net and taking chances to create new material.

On the other side of the coin, young comic Orny Adams is shown developing his own material and looking for his "big break." Other reviewers have complained about his narcissism, but I suggest that this is precisely what pushes someone to step up on a stage and tell jokes for a living. Adams may be full of himself, but what successful entertainer isn't an egotist? I found Adams' observations about the business of comedy to be astute, honest, and funny.

Visually, there are a lot of beautiful touches in this movie - from a terrific edit sequence as Seinfeld prepares to go on stage at the DC Improv, to the stunning last shot from the stage of Oakland's Paramount Theater. The filmmakers should be very proud of their efforts.

Another note: the extra features are generally very good here, but you cannot miss the audio commentary by Seinfeld and fellow comic Colin Quinn. It is hilarious!

Bottom line: THIS IS NOT A STAND-UP VIDEO and the audience is better off as a result. Instead, this terrific documentary gives us wonderful insight into the life of the stand-up comic and the creative process.

Rating:
Summary: Master of his domain.
Review: JERRY SEINFELD is a funny guy. This documentary about the rigors of creating a reputable, humerous, and lengthy stand-up act is both interesting and fun. COMEDIAN goes behind the scenes as SEINFELD builds his comic mojo in the small comedy clubs of New York that he started his career in. A nice package that has a mood of closeness to the comedian and his line of work and is a great way to pass time if you like the shows SEINFELD or CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, or enjoy the man's act. The only speed bumps in the film are scenes with young comedian ORNY ADAMS who has to be the most annoying and self-absorbed "comic" working today. He simply whines way too much. Would have been excellent with out him and more JERRY, but still manages to entertain with an insight into what it takes to be funny or choke trying.