Comedian

Ronny.Chieng.Asian.Comedian.Destroys.America.2019.1080p.NF.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.x264-TEPES

I like Jerry, his humour appeals to me. But what the hell was going on in this pseudo-documentary? Jerry with his private jet at his disposal is executive producer and doesn't spring for a cinematographer to take this out of the realm of a home movie - poorly shot, dimly lit and so badly cut I felt a migraine coming on. He wants our sympathy, all these comedians do, whether multi-millionaires (Cosby, Leno) or not. Their angst over their material is palpable. One up and coming comedian is depicted and his selfishness and poor attitude does not engender any warmth whatsoever. A waste of film. No meat, no potatoes in any of it. A hollow empty feeling. 4 out of 10. Avoid.

If you are a fan of the sitcom or his stand-up work, you will be disappointed. If you want to break into the comedy business, this is for you. While it shows an interesting side of this tough business, it would have played better as a segment on 60 minutes. I love his show and his routines but this movie left me feeling that I wasted my time.

The documentary Comedian is basically the story of a genius and a hack. The genius, being Jerry Seinfeld. Come on, he is. He did the best TV show ever created, he is such a funny guy. He's the richest comedian in the world actually. The hack being a guy named Orny Adams. I know, that is a horrible name. Orny Adams is a hack. He's not funny, he is too sensitive when people don't lime his material. He thinks he's so funny. On an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry is heckled by a woman named Toby. Later on in the episode, George convinces Jerry to go to her office and heckle her. I can picture Orny Adams doing that. " You can't be in this business if you can't take it". Well, clearly Orny Adams shouldn't be in the business. Cause he can't take anything. Seinfeld is obviously a genius. Orny though, is a cocky, ass hole. Seinfeld , as it shows here, thinks of himself of not being good enough." I have no excuse, I just wasn't good". That is something that he says in this movie. Orny on the other hand is the exact opposite. From the very first scene you can tell. The film, is about two comedians. The two I have been talking about the entire review. How hard it is to make people laugh and how annoying and cocky some people are in the world. I was more than glad to see little of Orny, cause he was so annoying. The film, isn't entirely funny. I know, a genius comedian and some other genius comedians are in it. You'd expect a documentary about comedians to be funny right? Well, I didn't exactly. And do you know what, it wasn't really. But it's very interesting. and it's good to see Jerry Seinfeld back. No matter who says otherwise, Orny, you blow, Seinfeld, you're the best there is. And after seeing Seinfeld in this, the Bee movie, and other things, I have one thing to say. More. Comedian:A-

This is a well-made documentary, that unfortunately is derailed by two fatal flaws: 1. Aside from Jerry Seinfeld, Orny Adams is another comedian featured in this film (though you wouldn't know it from the DVD cover); and he's featured pretty heavily (i'd say it's roughly 60 percent Jerry Seinfeld, and 40 percent Orny Adams). Orny Adams is not funny. Orny Adams is not sympathetic. Orny Adams is not interesting or complex or compelling. Every moment that Orny Adams is on the screen is every moment you, the viewer, will be repulsed. He is arrogant and ungrateful. And when you hear his material, you have to wonder just where the hell his sense of entitlement came from. By all rights, this film should have ruined his career in this field. If it did, then maybe it IS worth it. 2. By the end of the movie, there is one universal thing you can understand about stand up comedians (at least the ones featured in this film): They all have a contempt for their audience. It's disappointing, because even though we rationally understand that we don't really know Jerry, or Colin Quinn, we DO feel like there's something familiar. But, in this film, the audience is so repeatedly and harshly criticized, it's appalling. When the audience is responsive, Jerry Seinfeld mocks them for having the notion that they can relate to the comedy. Colin Quinn makes a comment about how being comfortable as a comedian means that you make the audience laugh, but you don't care about them laughing. And yet, the audience members are the first ones blamed for poor performances. Over and over again, the audience is called idiots, or worse. And while the comedians continually cut down the audience (whether as a comedic device, or out of true malice), the audience is crucified if they attempt any criticism. The only moments of introspection and tenderness are when comedians are either talking to each other, or comedians of even higher stature. So, while the audience is being ridiculed and belittled and blamed for the comedians' poor jokes, Seinfeld shares a very poignant with Bill Cosby, who rattles off some cliche and rambling sentiment about performing. Seinfeld responds by saying that it is one of his greatest joys to be able to know Cosby. Never is there even a fraction of this appreciation for the paying and appreciative audience. Perhaps the comedians in this film would be most happy performing for each other in some Algonquin Roundtable setup. Well made, but its own material is its own worst enemy. I think the same can be said for Orny Adams' career, but that's aside from the point.

This was a movie I saw in a time period when the only two movies I was likely to go and see where this one, and "Bowling for Columbine". I picked this one because I was a fan of Jerry Seinfeld's work and stand-up comedy. What a disaster! I fully knew this was a documentary and I had seen documentaries before, but this was just a disaster. How it got past studio executives must have involved some shady dealings involving bribes or something. The picture quality is abysmal, and the audio quality is so terrible you can't understand what the people are talking about unless they are on stage or in an enclosed area like a car. The "documentary" consisted of Jerry or Ray Romano or some dickweed called "Orny" telling jokes, getting their jokes cut off right before the punchline, and then talking about their crappy careers and how they've either gone down the toilet (as with Jerry and Ray) or are taking off sluggishly (as with "Orny"). There are some conversations with big names like Larry David in a café or something, but you can't understand these, as the background noise is three times louder than their conversation. At some point, Jerry or Ray Romano manage to sneak in a joke before the camera cuts them off, but for the most part, the majority of the jokes are completely cut off right before the punchline. Orny was not funny at all. Worst movie ever. This was the first movie I walked out of. Luckily for me, "Bowling for Columbine" was just starting in another theater and I snuck into that one. Best decision ever. Best documentary of 2002. I laughed, I cried, I applauded when it ended

... but if your opinion was that this was a great film, you are sorely mistaken. I am still mad I paid to see this meaningless tripe. It isn't "meaningless in a good way" like his TV show was either. The movie stumbled around trying to convince the world that stand-up comedy is tantamount to brain surgery. Like a suicidal clown, it takes itself way too seriously. The movie meanders around like a nearly stagnant oxbow while you wait for it to get better. Like the early stages of botulism, it doesn't. The laughs are non-existent until some lady in the audience calls one of the self-absorbed comedians 'gay.' He flips out because he just can't take the abuse he took from an audience member--and calls his mom. Grow up and get a life. You're in the wrong business if you can't banter. My favorite part is how hard Jerry tries to make it look like he's starting fresh and slumming it. Meanwhile, he's driving to appearances in Porsches and BMW's and flying to see Cosby backstage on a private jet. Yeah, that's the school of hard knocks buddy. I would recommend this to high school film class students who are failing so they can feel better about themselves and their work. Dark lighting, smoky bars, and semi-witty sarcastic remarks do not a great art film make. At least it was short, but it was still an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back.

My first memory of this movie's release was seeing its trailer poster - an intrusive billboard-sized mural in Mid-town Manhattan. It pictured Jerry Seinfeld awkwardly striding across a city street in a suit, microphone and stand in tow. The poster told me 'here is a superstar, a living legend of the small screen, stripped of his entourage of writers; stripped of his supporting cast of characters, his Kramers and Costanzas; sent to live among us once again and say I bet I can make you laugh.' I remember thinking 'I bet you can't' as I descended into the subway. Perhaps I was harsh. But watching "Comedian" I learned I pale in comparison to the comic's toughest audience: himself. "Comedian" gives us a taste of the life that exists between 20 minute sets; the intimate moments of a seasoned stand-up comic, earning his weight in laughs. The movie could work on its own as a story about the unique turns that lie in wait of one pursuing a profession in comedy. But what makes "Comedian" special is the voyeuristic quality of its backdrop. We're used to Jerry Seinfeld's Seinfeld. Here we see Jerry Seinfeld's Jerry, a cool if not sometimes meekly understated professional who still gets the jitters before taking the stage at unknown Midwestern laugh-ins. "Comedian" pulls the celebrity curtain down, serving us fizzy gin and tonics with Rocks and Romanos on the side. The movie makes you feel like you are at your home town's shadiest club and comic greats are eating peanuts just a few bar stools away. Silently we mutter 'sure Jerry is performing a set tonight, but not before I buy him a cocktail.' If the movie works, we believe that Jerry Seinfeld is a working man - and we're nervous for him. Our hero, off to slay a dragon each night he performs. We wish him luck on the road, one he navigates in a beamer. Afterword: "Comedy" is refreshing in its suggestion that accomplished stars can be working stiffs too, if their star hangs from a comic cellar's rafter. To wit, Chris Rock recounts a cutting-edge set he caught recently at a theater in Newark, N.J. The comic was a long-time favorite of his, but he didn't recognize most of the jokes. He delivered a 2 1/2 hour, uninterrupted set, a task regarded by Seinfeld in the movie as a "physical feat." The man was killing the crowd (along with Chris) with brand new material he had never heard. His name was Bill Cosby.

When I saw this at Blockbuster I chose it over all the other titles I wanted to see. After all, I spotted Jerry Seinfeld as one of the funnier comedians on Letterman, long before his hit show. I love showbiz backstage scenes, etc. What a disappointment this was. I wasn't even interested enough to want to watch the entire thing. Orny isn't very funny, and Jerry's material pales next to his old stuff. What happened? A hit show and zillions of dollars and you lose your knack? This movie needed longer periods of standup, and interviews lasting at least a few minutes. Instead we get snippets, MTV style, that don't add up to much.

This documentary is for someone who thinks stand up comedy is easy. No one has an idea what goes on behind the scenes, even the great Jerry Seinfeld, who after a hit TV series decides he wants to go back to the places that gave him his break. We can feel the pain of newcomers such as Orny Adams who is trying to begin a career as a comedian. His presence in the film makes one understand the frustrations these actors go through on a nightly basis wherever they face a public that wants to be entertained with non stop jokes. It is very hard indeed to be able to do it every time. The documentary is very fast in the sure hands of Christian Charles who obviously has an eye for capturing the comedians at their most vulnerable points. We get to see a shaky Seinfeld trying new material. Sometimes he is good, but sometimes he really stink. He has been away from the scene for such a long time that it takes him a while to find his feet. His scenes with Bill Cosby, the great Robert Klein and others are the best things going with the film. People in general will have a second view after seeing this movie about the funny men in comedy clubs.