Review of Comedian (2002) by Ryan R — 08 Jun 2007

The Documentary Comedian follows the nightlife of both Jerry Seinfeld and Arnie Adams. The brilliance of this work is that it reveals the dark side of trying to make it as a stand up comedian in the hard New York nightclubs.

And it also raises many questions such as why do these artists stand up in front of crowded bars filled with drunks, and try to make people laugh, while secretly feeling many painful emotions. Seinfeld and Adams both reveal the anxiety, terror, nervousness, depression, and dissatisfaction, associated with either the anticipation of being rejected by the audience or the actual reality of being rejected by the audience.

Seinfeld also illustrates that when a comedian is trying to develop an hour-long act, it can take months of painful rejections from cold crowds until he finds the right jokes that work for most audiences.

Overall, this documentary is great for anyone who ever asked the question: How can someone be so funny? And the answer amounts to years of dedication refining ones craft and technique until an effective style is found, but such a journey is not without it?s torturous psychological lows.

However, it is quite the piece of art for revealing the truth of the comedy industry. Moreover, after watching this film, it becomes apparent why Krusty the Clown from the Simpsons is such a melancholy character.