Candyman

Candyman: The David Klein Story (2010)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Interesting documentary taking a look at the life of David Klein. You might not know his name but he was the man who created Jelly Belly jelly beans and lived to regret it. This documentary tells the history of Jelly Belly from the very start of it to today but the real key point is that Klein signed an extremely bad deal to help other people and he pretty much lost the company and gave it away for nothing. While the company continues to be one of the most profitable out there, the man who made it gets nothing from it. At 76-minutes there are a few slow spots here and there are a few moments that could have been better told but for the most part this is a fairly interesting film and one that will probably make your blood boil. It's clear that Klein is a terrific, warm hearted guy but at the same time you have to feel bad that this kindness pretty much ruined his life. I thought it was interesting hearing how this familiar company came to be and of course the stuff dealing with Klein losing everything was pretty sad. We get interviews with Klein as well as his family and friends and all of them shine a light on this period. For some reason Weird Al is also interviewed and these "comic" moments are pretty embarrassing.

This is a mildly--very mildly interesting documentary about the guy who invented Jelly Belly candy and basically threw the company away for practically nothing. My biggest question about the film is not about this guy but why was Weird Al in the film in various guest spots? Did he have some connection to the company or the candy industry? I assume not, as his clips seemed to come from left field. Other than providing information about the candy being is vegetarian-friendly (but not vegan-friendly), I didn't understand that. Now I am NOT anti-Al--heck, I went to his last concert when it came to town. But I just didn't see the connection between him and David Klein or Jelly Belly.

The film begins with Klein coming up with the idea of the candy as well as the initial difficulties he had marketing the candy. Then, it chronicles how the candy took off as well as the confusing story about why he sold his company for an incredibly small sum--even at the time when it was a much smaller company. The rest of the film seems to talk about how unsuccessful he was following this but how he's really a great guy. However, this confused me, as there was one BRIEF clip in which Klein's son talked about how the guy displaced his anger on his son when he was growing up. Apparently Klein sold his company without even having a lawyer involved during this process--and today has very little to show for it! This displacement did NOT fit with the guy the rest of the film portrayed--and it left me confused.

All in all, an okay documentary but one I found not all that compelling. While the film seemed to want the viewer to feel sorry for the guy, I couldn't help but think he was just a bit...well...foolish.

I want to feel sorry for David Klein, but I can't.

He created a fantastic product: The Jelly Belly jellybean, but he seems purely unsuited to either running a business or even getting decent advice.

Had this man (who attended law school) simply hired a lawyer, he could have probably retained a small minority share in what is Jelly Belly today and been rich. He didn't. At every turn, when confronted with a situation, he seems to have taken the quick but easy way.

To be honest, David Klein invented the Jelly Belly, but then he more or less stopped. He is NOT responsible for the massive success of the company, but wants to be treated as if he was.

He wanted his contract manufacturing company to expand -- with them taking all the risk -- and was surprised when they turned the tables on him.

Since the story is one-sided and still doesn't make him out to be much of a sympathetic character.

Offbeat family man with big dreams creates a candy-coated phenomenon, tiny jelly beans in a colorful array of wildly different flavors, but quickly has his Jelly Belly company stripped from him by big businessmen who know how to turn the product into a multi-million dollar corporate empire. The American Dream gone sour, and yet inventor David Klein doesn't really allow the pitfalls of fortune's flip-side get him down. Klein has his regrets--as anyone in his situation would; he has a quiet sadness that comes through in his little shrugs and half-nods, but he keeps shuffling forward. It's in his nature to hide the pain and make folks smile. This documentary, produced, directed, and photographed by Costa Botes, doesn't have big moments of high drama...but the sad reverie which permeates these interviews of Klein and his kooky family turn out to be just as potent. **1/2 from ****

As long as I can remember Jelly Bellys have been the premier jelly bean. Every other jelly bean was a stale, uni-flavored, sugary mass whereas Jelly Bellys had distinct, unique, wonderful flavors. I'm in my room staring at a candy dispenser full of Jelly Bellys right now. Who invented Jelly Bellys never crossed my mind. I figured they were spit out of the boardroom of some company and it just worked. I certainly didn't know a quirky guy named David Klein was the brains behind the Jelly Belly brand.

"Candyman: The David Klein Story" is about the creation of the Jelly Belly brand and how it became a product of the Goelitz Candy Company. The documentary is a little scattered at times because it hinges on the storytelling of David Klein, an eccentric and "unusual" man, but it gives you enough information to know about Jelly Belly.

I don't think this documentary would interest many people who are not into Jelly Belly. They don't go into how it's made, there wasn't a grand conspiracy to steal it, and nobody died under suspicious circumstances. It's just about an upbeat and offbeat kind of guy who came up with an idea around 1976 that people like me enjoy to this day.