New Yorker Nina is a stand-up comic with a blunt repertoire. Her material is R-rated in a competitive way; as if she’s trying to out-disgust other comedians at the open mic. The truth, however, is her jokes are stale. They’re not worthless, but Nina’s routine is on autopilot. However, it’s what she has to do to survive in a world dominated by daunting masculinity and crass jokes.
Bob Saget is more candid than ever in his latest stand-up special Zero to Sixty, a change in tone when compared to his rowdy 2007 special That Ain’t Right.
To perform stand-up comedy takes skill, and it’s a developmental process specific to each comedian until they find their own individual presence. For some comics, however, the experimental process becomes their career – always finding ways to deliver jokes and stories while keeping listeners on their toes. Bob Saget certainly falls into this category. Being professionally experimental is what makes Saget’s comedy work.
Dying Laughing, a documentary about the ups and downs of careers in comedy, is chock full of talent. Billy Connolly, Dave Attell, Amy Schumer, Rick Overton, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Lewis, Chris Rock, and the late Garry Shandling are just some of the famous faces interviewed.
By: Addison Wylie Comedian/marijuana enthusiast Doug Benson has made it his mission to provide stoner versions of documentaries directed by Morgan Spurlock. He started with Super High Me (a half-baked spin on Super Size Me) and continued with The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled (a take off on The Greatest Movie Ever Sold). Benson checks off another title with Chronic-Con Episode 420: A New Dope, which isn’t just an obvious jab at Spurlock’s Comic-Con Episode IV:…
By: Addison Wylie Adam Carolla plays curmudgeon comic Bruce Madsen in Road Hard, a semi-autobiographical sophomore effort co-directed and co-written by Carolla and frequent collaborator Kevin Hench. Maden feels like he’s in the shadow of everyone more successful than him. This film would probably feel the same way about its presence next to Judd Apatow’s Funny People. That said, I know a lot of people who quiver just thinking about Apatow’s expansive ode to comedians….
By: Addison Wylie Delivery isn’t funny ha-ha, which you would think would be problematic in a documentary showcasing four levelheaded guys challenging themselves to take a one-night stab at stand-up comedy. However, the film itself is more amusing in an endearing way. Sean Menard, Shane Cunningham, Bert van Lierop, and Mark Myers (who also serves as the film’s writer/director, and may be familiarized by his former Much Music title ‘Mark the Temp’) make a pact…
By: Addison Wylie If you’re not a stranger to movies featuring a favoured comic performing stand-up, the beginning of Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain should be another walk in the park from stage left to stage right. Before we get to Hart’s routine which sold out New York City’s Madison Square Garden (twice!), audiences are given a Cloverfield-esque intro showing Hart having to defend himself at an after party. After countless patrons questioning him and…