Comedian (2002)

Although Comedian may be billed as a documentary charting Jerry Seinfeld's return to standup comedy, that's only half of the story. Or rather, it's only 60 percent of the story, as the other fraction of the film is devoted to the burgeoning career of Orny Adams, a brash young comedian with whom Seinfeld occasionally crosses paths. This sort of compare/contrast approach mostly works, even if it mostly serves to prove how much classier and more accomplished Seinfeld is than the whiny, arrogant, and thoroughly irritating Adams. Even Seinfeld's most ardent followers may be surprised by his dogged work ethic: In one sequence, he goes to the Museum of Television and Radio to watch archived footage of Richard Pryor and George Carlin. In fact, the "comedy is hard work" thesis is applied so strenuously to all the performers in Comedian that it begins to grate against the film; in particular, the screen time devoted to Adams and his tired shtick suggests that the world of standup has more to do with tenacity and stick-to-it-iveness than actual talent. But when it focuses on Seinfeld -- and his fascinating conversations with Chris Rock, Robert Klein, Garry Shandling, Bill Cosby, and others -- Comedian proves that it takes a great mind as well as great effort to become a legend. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide