Review of Heckler (2007) by Joshua I — 01 Apr 2013

This may be one of the most important movies in the age of anonymity. I was expecting a funny movie with clips of comedians tearing into hecklers. What I saw was a movie masquerading as a comedian's backlash against critics, that was actually about the much deeper psychological issues that have been exacerbated by the barrierless, anonymous internet. This documentary was more candid than a serious documentary maybe should be, but it was insightful and engaging nonetheless.

Moreover it was not an all out rail against critics, more of a critique of criticism. It does not have the polished look of today's documentaries, but it has qualities that most polished documentaries fail to possess: an abashed frankness, proper research, and rebuttal from the argument's detractors.

Not Jamie Kennedy's best comedic piece, as it's not comedy.

Definitely his best work, and one of the most thoughtful documentaries I've seen in the past few years.

I'll still be waiting for my juvenile indulgence of seeing hecklers get the verbal backlash, though. Just sayin'.