Wonderfully offbeat film!

What makes it different from others?

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

You've heard it said that drama is easy, but comedy is hard. But you've also heard it said that sometimes you have to see it to believe it.And such is the motivation behind Comedian, a documentary directed by Christian Charles that came out through Miramax in 2002. The film is very much in the vein of the last documentary I saw, D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back. Pennebaker's picture followed Bob Dylan across a tour of England using hand-held cameras, watching Dylan as he alternately performed and dealt with fans and/or the press, or as he just relaxed pre-show with his crew.Charles eschews the black and white and opts for color, but other than that the aesthetic is the same -- only he's following Jerry Seinfeld around America.The difference, then, is in intent: Pennebaker's was a portrait of its time; Charles' is meant to be a study of how stand-up is developed and perfected. It succeeds very well but is too long and plods at points. The big fault is its detour to follow Orny Adams, who strains any patience a viewer will have. But both Chris Rock and Bill Cosby are welcomed moments that add depth to the movie.If you're into comedy or the practice of art, this is a fun documentary. But it's not essential.

Jerry Seinfeld Comedian a decent look at the process of building a new act- and how even the top guys are still insecure - the best parts of the movie were the comedians talking to each other about the biz and the act and such.Most of the movie focuses on Sienfeld's return to standup- but the side story is about Orney Adams(also handled by Sienfeld's manager)- Orney is a wannabe- after 8 years he finally gets a guest shot on Letterman- but Orney is never happy- he is plagued by insecurity and documents and records every joke and performance- so he can prepare for his next act- he reminded me of Banya from the Sienfeld show- I did standup every Wednesday for a year to get over stage-fright- I respect guys that can go onstage and win a crowd over with their wit and timing- this movie made me want to have a go at comedy again- worth a rental if you like Sienfeld or are curious about the brickwall set-also plenty of celeb cameos- Gary Shandling,Bill Cosby,Jay Leno,Kevin Nealon,Chris Rock,etc.

A catalogue of disappointments.Any film-maker who thinks the built-in mic on his hand-held video camera is good enough to provide the sound for a documentary feature should never have been allowed to graduate from film school. You would have thought the fact that many of the scenes take place in crowded, indoor spaces with reverberant surfaces (comedy clubs in basements, low-ceilinged restaurants, green rooms etc) would have given him a clue that the sound was going to need some help, but he seemed to prefer to capture his venues' authentic ambiance of inaudibility. Apart from the sheer technical incompetence, this decision also means it's difficult to know what's actually going on. What were the producers thinking when they allowed him to get away with this? Second, Christian Charles is so in love with his subject he can't conceive that not everyone will know who everyone in the film is, so he doesn't even bother with the simple courtesy of a name at the bottom of the screen the first time each person appears. Unless for some reason he specifically wants to limit his audience to the United States, that's not a very smart move. Again, the producers don't seem to have grasped a rather obvious issue.Third, the material just isn't interesting enough. Very, very seldom are we allowed to hear a joke all the way through to the punchline, and although that's not what the film's primarily about, a film-maker with any sense would realize that getting some laughs out of the experience is what would make sitting through the comedians' tediously solipsistic backstage self-examination worthwhile. Every laugh we get is like a glass of water to someone lost in the desert. It's what people listen to comedians *for*, Chris. We don't do it because they're interesting people.

This documentary follows Jerry Seinfeld during his efforts to become a working stand-up comedian again, after almost 15 years of absence from the stage. But even for a man his caliber, it's far from an easy job to come back on stage just like that. He's got the cheers upfront because he is a celebrity, but once the initial welcome applause is gone, it's the material that counts. But it seems behind every minute of stand-up comedy is a hundred hours of hard work, with weeks of brainstorming, writing, and trying out new material on hackling audiences. "Twenty minutes in three months", he states. Seinfeld also talks shop with a number of friends and colleagues in the business, including Robert Klein, Ray Romano, Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Jay Leno and Bill Cosby. Don't expect this documentary to reveal much about the private life of Jerry Seinfeld. He is self-assured and confident - no surprises there - and is always in control. He is only followed when working at his act, but we do get an occasional peek at his wife and kid, for instance before his appearance on the Tonight Show. But this documentary also shows us the struggles of Orny Adams, a young, cocky and insecure comedian, who tries to make to make his mark in show business. Let me state this now. Orny Adams is not a funny comedian. He's not funny at all. Off-stage, he has a few funny observations, but his act is terrible. But he did invoke some sympathy with me, or empathy, so you will, with a fascinating portrait of his struggles. But I never really understood why they chose him. Obviously, the crew used him for a documentary about Seinfeld, but not on criteria based on comedic talent. To me, it was astonishing and very revealing that Seinfeld never even met Orny Adams before the filming of this project started. I think there is one scene where they meet in a club and have a short conversation. On the DVD Seinfeld casually reveals he never spoke to him again since! Not because they had an argument but probably because he is not in the least interested in Orny Adams. Jerry Seinfeld is well known for not having many friends and not mixing work and private life, but this? Back to Orny for some final thoughts. I always wondered whether Orny actually was a real guy and not some actor? I still do think he is an actual comedian, but with a name like that? In a restaurant in Montréal, the waitress asks for his name and doesn't believe him and proclaims: "Get out of town. No mother would name her kid Orny." He insists that it is in fact his real name. Well... perhaps one mother did, or it is his stage name. I don't know. Fact is, although he's not funny at all, I liked the portrait and I liked the whole film and found this a fascinating insight in the world of the stand-up comedian. Every Seinfeld-fan has probably seen this already, but I imagine this must be an enjoyable documentary for everyone.Camera Obscura --- 8/10