Dean Martin: King of Cool

I didn't expect much from this documentary. No idea of how well it was put together or what depth of research was made. BUT this was very professionally made, and in every important aspect.

I'm 61 now and can recall watching Dean Martin in movies and his TV show as a kid. I knew something about his rise as a singer, the Martin & Lewis phenomenon, the Rat Pack, the fallout with Jerry Lewis, marriage problems, and the devastation of his son's tragic death. This was all presented in a very coherent and professional manner.

The man's entire life is covered very well here, and very entertainingly so. It was engrossing from the first few minutes and all the way to the end. Injected interviews were spot on...not too short, not too long. In many ways it was a sort of blast from the past, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

It's been a very long time since feeling compelled to write a review on IMBD. In fact, I had to create a new user account to post this. But I felt it was necessary to share my impression after just having watched it.

I am very glad I watched this film with my daughter, as the film impacted both of us very differently. As a 57 year-old guy, I know I lot about Martin. I've seen most of his films and remember his weekly TV show. My daughter, on the other hand, knew little about him apart from his music...and her reaction to the film is important but quite different. And so, it seems that depending on your age and familiarity with the man will greatly impact on your viewing experience. Much of it is because the film seems to assume you know a lot about Dean Martin...and my daughter had to ask me repeatedly to fill in a few gaps.

The film itself is interesting because there's no narrator. Instead, lots of folks talk about Dean Martin and their recollections of him. Many of these pieces of footage are great...such as from his family and friends. However, a few left me confused as to WHY these people were talking about Dean Martin as they most likely did NOT know the man and were not experts on him. Jon Hamm and the guy from the Wu-Tang Clan were VERY oddly included...as were a few others.

If you are looking for a film about Dean Martin and not his career, this is a very good film. But when it comes to his career, there are a few glaring omissions (such as any mention of his "Celebrity Roasts" or even his individual films with Jerry Lewis). Overall, a very good film with a few problems...which I mentioned above.

A must see for any full blown or half curious Dean Martin fans. This documentary captures a nice glimpse into what and who Dean Martin was, both in his professional and personal life. Many funny moments as well a narrative recollection from many who were close within his circle. After seeing this informative piece I have a desire to make.pasta fagioli!

Dean Martin was a leading entertainer for more than thirty years. First in partnership with Jerry Lewis, then on his own, he conquered the movies, television, records, with a great talent and an air of not caring what happened. This documentary shows that at the very beginning, with flubs from his TV show that he waves off. That leads a lot of the people to speculate that they didn't know him, from his family to the people he worked with for decades.

In actuality, I think that, besides a fine singing voice, he had the ability that great straight men have: the ability to listen to his comic, observe the audience, and slow things down to feed lines at just the right pace. It's why, I believe, the live shows he did with Lewis were such riots, while their movies not so much. It's why the partnership broke up; to be seen as singing a couple of songs and standing by while your partner gets all the laughs is galling. Abbott & Costello had their fallings out; not everyone is George Burns.

And yet the habit persisted. After the partnership with Lewis broke up, his big prestige movie was Howard Hawks' RIO BRAVO. Studio executives, looking at the rushes, wanted to know when Martin was showing up. Hawks said "That's him, right there on the screen, playing the drunk."

Standing aside, letting John Wayne and Walter Brennan stand center stage: I'm not sure I believe the story but it kind of fits, doesn't it?

Admittedly, I didn't know very much about Dean Martin other than his public persona. After seeing Rio Bravo recently, this doc was an opportunity to learn more.

The insight into his real personality is fascinating. It's a difficult job to construct a profile of a man who made a point of being unknowable. The filmmakers probably came as close as possible.