This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.
The Comedians of Comedy
I'm not sure the first time I saw Zach Galifianakis. It may have even been even before his brilliant stand-up act on Comedy Central Presents. But I knew the first time I ever saw him sitting at his piano with his massive beard that his form of subversive humor was about as straight up my alley as I would ever find. When I discovered he was being given a talk show on VH1, I waited with anticipation and have never been more rewarded. Late World with Zach (which unfortunately isn't listed on Spout) began with a song by Frank Black and ended within a matter of months. That was no surprise though. Zach's style and sense of humor went against everything mainstream and typically presented to the public. It was even more subversive in that it wasn't what you typically imagine as being the image of subversive. Zach really knew what was funny, to me at least and the handful of other guys who all crammed into a college dorm room every night of the week for its run in 2002. If any portion of this show ever becomes available on DVD, rent it immediately.
Anyways, this leads me to The Comedians of Comedy. I'm not sure that this movie ever had any kind of theatrical release since it was apparently produced by Netlfix. The name apparently being a reference to the big stand-up comedy movie The Original Kings of Comedy (which itself was probably a reference to The King of Comedy, but I don't know) and other spinoffs like The Queens of Comedy and The Original Latin Kings of Comedy. The name of the movie is actually the name of the stand-up comedy tour that four comedians are doing around the country, often at venues that would usually feature live bands. The four comedians are Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, and of course Zach Galifianakis.
Zach you know how much I loved before seeing this. Patton I have been a fan of since Small Doses (which surprisingly isn't listed on IMDB, TV.com, Spout, or much of anywhere, but believe me it was a real show) on Comedy Central. I've heard his CD Feelin' Kinda Patton and think it's fantastic. Patton also has a small cameo in Magnolia, amongst other films. Brian Posehn I know mostly from Mr. Show and Mission Hill. Maria Bamford was a name I didn't recognize, but discovered that she was a familiar face. I had probably seen her on one of the myriad of stand-up programs they used to have on Comedy Central when I used to watch that channel so often so many years ago.
The movie is partly a back stage documentary, and partly a record of the actual stand-up. Zach, Patton, and Brian I would consider funny. Maria doesn't do it for me. She seems to be out of place, not just as the only woman, but also in her style of humor. Brian is funny enough, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to see his act. I know that Patton is very funny, but many of the portions of his stand-up act that are shown feel like they are dulled by being taken out of context. Unlike Zach, he does not hop so quickly from one gag to the next, and you really have to settle in for the long haul to really absorb his hilarity. Zach of course is by far the funniest, and also the most interesting thing about this movie, both with his actual act and his comments and behavior off stage. Much of the off stage stuff is sort of boring actually. We find out what huge nerds Patton and Brian are. One of the more interesting portions is when the cast speaks about their early days, what it was like, and how they got to where they are now.
There are a few behind the scenes staged bits. All of the funniest ones, done by Zach. The part where he is explaining how he is sick of slapstick and more of a sucker for the spoken word of comedy, when suddenly the leg of his chair falls out from underneath and he goes rolling down a dirty hill where the camera follows him and he continues talking as if nothing happened. It's most likely the funniest part of the film. And the extended take of the whole scenario on the special features is especially brilliant. Zach brings himself to tears in one of the most inspired moments of false dramatic acting I've seen in a while.
There is also a rather confusing narrative film within the film that was created on the spot by Zach and Brian. After you watch the entirety of it on the special features you figure out why it's confusing. They cut out the final punch line. Even though Zach refers to it later in the movie. I'll just let you know, it involves mayonnaise.
But probably one of the most fascinating moments, that is a little glimpse into Zach's head and the way he is always looking out for any opportunity, is when he encounters the street performers outside of the laundromat and contracts them to appear at his show that night to turn one of his jokes into an extended song. The movie may be worth seeing for these moments alone, certainly, if these were the only things in the movie.
Anyways, you can probably tell now that I'm rather taken with Zach. And I can also say disappointedly that because of the fact that he wasn't actually on every leg of the tour, he gets the least air time. And listening to too many boring in-between moment elsewhere with Maria, or sometimes incoherent editing gives the movie less impact.
Oh well. I hear I hear that Zach has a new DVD out called Live at the Purple Onion. So if anything this movie has excited me enough to check that out.
The obligatory score: 6/10 stars