Review of The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) by Jeff H — 13 May 2008

Shot on digital video, Lee directed this concert video (not entirely unusual given his Nike commercial background) over the course of two nights. Featuring the standup comedy of Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac, the film was produced for roughly $3 million and went on to gross nearly $40 million making it the biggest box office return of Leeâ??s career.

I had to do some research to find out exactly what the responsibilities of a concert video director are. After all, the cameras are mostly stationary, the taping isnâ??t live and with no narrative, the performers are basically improvising their own material and without the input of a director (there is no â??cut!â??). I came up empty. That this film was as a big a success that it was is undoubtedly due to the creative talents of its four featured stand ups. The term â??concert video directorâ?? seems to be almost as ambiguous as the term â??producerâ?? when it comes to responsibility and creative input. Perhaps it is just a vanity credit or a means to attract a particular audience when in fact the filmmaker had little, if anything, to do with the actual production (â??Wes Craven Presents They,â?? â??Quentin Tarantino Presents Hostel,â?? etc.). Granted thereâ??s no way of knowing if â??Kingsâ?? would have been more or less successful without the â??urbanâ?? directorâ??s name attached to it, though personally I donâ??t think it would have made much difference.

*How was Leeâ??s name used, if at all, during the filmâ??s marketing campaign? The marketing materials I found (mostly posters) donâ??t even feature it. TV spots, trailers?? Do you think Lee secured the gig just because of his name or was that even a factor?