COMEDIAN

Comedian is a brief look into the life of a stand-up comedian, namely Jerry Seinfeld. You may have seen him on a little TV show called Seinfeld. He was named after it. For those that don't know, a year ago, Jerry retired his stand-up material, never to use it again. This documentary follows Seinfeld for a year as he develops a new act. It's a serious look at what it takes to be a stand-up comic. And it’s seriously funny. It was very strange to see him on stage with raw material. At one point, he even loses his place in the middle of an act. It was sad, because the audience thought it was all part of the act, but you could see in his eyes that he truly forgot where he was going. Although, it was moments like that, that really make you appreciate the sacrifice Seinfeld has made. I mean, could you imagine taking all the work you've done so far in life, putting it in a box, and starting over? For someone as successful as Jerry Seinfeld, it would be crazy to just throw away 10 years of material. Some of the best scenes are off stage in restaurants where Seinfeld brainstorms, mostly with SNL's Colin Quinn. It was moments like these that reminded me of Rocky. A comedian making a comeback, trying to find a groove, and in his corner was a ring man (Quinn), to throw his ass back into the ring when he takes a fall. That may be pushing it, but Rocky did come into mind when watching it. The film also deals with an up-and-coming comic named Orny Adams. Adams comes across badly in the film. He acts as if nothing is ever good enough, no matter how good things are going for him. At times he pissed me off, but, to be honest, I think it was brave of him to be himself in the film. The movie really shows us how hard it is to be funny, and overall, Comedian is a fantastic look at the life of a stand-up comic.