Dying Laughing

After the shock of Robin Williams death the world was alerted by the complexities of being a comedian. Being a stand-up comedian is both complicated and rewarding. At times it can be self-deprecatory and lonely. This is what I gathered from "Dying Laughing". Making others laugh is a great experience to these comedians but when that stimulus isn't there it can leave a void that can only be refilled by external social gratification. It's an interesting documentary for people who enjoy stand-up, but seeing How I'm not one of those people I found it rather boring and pretentiously narcissistic.

I have individually herd most of these comedians talk about the craft. There is even a HBO special produced by Ricky Gervais were he's sits down with three really famous comedians and they talk shop. It's an excellent special but this documentary tops that.

Having all these comedians being interviewed together and having their stories inter cut with one another and their experiences layered into one gave a very complete inside look at what it takes to be a comedian.

What's awesome about this too is that it's a wide range of comedians. From here in the States to across the pond black, white, women, black women, Latino, Asian, middle Eastern. From the really famous to the living legends to the truly iconic, to people who have been in the biz for decades but you've never herd of them. They even took some time to do a segment of one up and coming black woman whose not remembering what it's like to start out but actually going through it.

It's a lesson in time and dedication and the struggle to hit the stage and what it takes to do it for a living. Very fascinating and entertaining, heartwarming sometimes serious, but overall funny

A must see.

http://cinemagardens.com

I hadn't heard a word about this film and only stumbled into it while flipping channels...and there's Billy Connelly, sitting in a chair, cast in black & white against a plain backdrop, talking about the craft of stand-up. I was rapt from that point on.

The doc gives an inside view of the nuts, bolts, and mechanics of stand-up comedy by those who hit the stage and ply the craft. Comedians of all manner spill the beans on what it takes and what it gives; the long road, dismal motel rooms, the loneliness, the hecklers, the boos, and the glorious highs of honing a set, capturing an audience, winning them over, and reaching a pitch where everything kills.

The film fully resonates with my experience as a stand-up, and as a film, I appreciated its tonality, showcasing the comedians telling their stories in raw B/W, with B-roll of the clubs, cafés, and the road shot in color. It may be confirmation bias, but I found myself voicing "yes", "exactly", and pointing at the screen as I recognized the experiences and emotions.

While the film is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the breadth and depth of how many comedians took part, I kept waiting in anticipation to see several more; Bill Burr, Louis CK #metoo, Zach Galifanakis, Todd Barry, Paula Poundstone, Lilly Tomlin, Tig Nayarit, David Cross, etc.

9/10

Standups talk about being standups. Dying means it bombed. Killed means it went great! Seinfeld, schumer, sandra bernhardt, and a cast of thousands.... LOVE dave attell. Gotta confess, i didn't recognize everyone... a couple i did recognize from listening to comedy channel on sirius xm. Even jerry lewis at 90, just before he died. It's a mix of things... there's what they like about going on the road.... a lot of complaining about going on the road (so don't do it!) lots of complaining. The audience. The town. The plane. The hotel. Was a little annoying to listen to that. But i guess this is a documentary, so they are probably doing their job by presenting all parts of the job. So much anger! And pain when they bomb, or have a heckler. It ends up being pretty dark. The last couple minutes, they describe what it feels like when it goes Great.... i wish they had spent more time on that. Directed by lloyd stanton and paul toogood. It's interesting, but there's a lot of darkness.

How many talking heads docs about comedians talking about comedy do we need? Apparently one more…. The stories are good as always, but this one is hit with a crate of unnecessary pretension (black and white? Really?). Kevin Pollack's "Misery Loves Comedy" is similar, but is better and more focused; watch that instead.