Review of Heckler (2007) by Alex T — 07 Jul 2012

I watched this on Netflix after I ran out of everything else to watch. Needless to say, I was skeptical and had low expectations- a documentary by Jamie Kennedy?! But I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that the subject matter was very interesting and insightful.

The documentary doesn't just focus on Kennedy; there are interviews of dozens of entertainers, from George Lucas to Carrot Top, who explain how they deal with hecklers, critics, and unfavorable responses in general.

There are also several humorous scenes where Jamie Kennedy confronts some of his critics face-to-face and asks them to provide the rationale behind their scathing responses. All in all, it was actually pretty thought-provoking.

And, I have to admit, it takes a certain amount of balls for Kennedy to aim the camera at himself in a relatively unflinching view of the often negative response to his routines. Maybe Kennedy and Addis could (and I can't believe I'm saying this) do a sequel, perhaps on the topic of the success of entertainment that appeals to the lowest common denominator, and finally provide an answer to the perennial question, "Who pays to watch this crap?!".