Review: Hot Docs’ ‘Show me the Funny’ showcases stand-up & sketch comedy (Includes first-hand account)

Almost everyone loves to laugh. Studies even show there are health benefits to a regular chuckle. There are entire television networks dedicated to broadcasting humorous content. It’s a mystery why some people are professional-grade funny and others are less so; it’s often a practiced craft, but for some it just comes naturally. The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival serves audience’s appetites for comedy with the program, “Show me the Funny.” Amongst this year’s selections is a film about three men who persevere in a struggling industry and another is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s most famous comedy troupes.

In addition to speaking to the three comedians at the centre of the documentary, filmmakers also interview Robin Williams, Rob Schneider and Dana Carvey. In addition to adding recognizable celebrity to the film, they provide interesting observations about the stand-up scene in San Francisco, reaffirming the experiences of the other three men in addition to acknowledging and praising their respective talents. The phrase, “Comics get better as they get older,” is expressed at one point and seems conceivable. Deciding it’s time to take the next step in their careers, Steele organizes a pop-up comedy performance, Durst prepares for a 90-minute one-man show and Brown goes on the road with Carvey.

The candidness of the one-on-one interviews is sometimes surprising. They talk about each other, revealing their admiration for their collaborators as well as feelings of incompatibility with certain members of the cast. The passing of Graham Chapman is commemorated in the opening sequence of the reunion, but time is also taken within the documentary to remember his contributions, personality and amusing anecdotes. Literally going behind the curtain, everyone who saw the show last year can enjoy behind-the-scenes jokes and truly appreciate the work and play that went into producing “Monty Python Live (Mostly).”

Ticket and screening information are available on the Hot Docs website.

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘The First Purge’ gets at the heart of the horror (Includes first-hand account)

    According to this franchise, in the near future the United States will condone one night of complete lawlessness. For 12 hours, every American citizen has the right to do whatever they want, including rape, murder and steal. But how could such a heinous event be permitted, let alone supported, by not only the people but their government? We’ve seen a family held hostage in their home, people wandering the streets in masks brutally killing anyone they encounter, disgruntled employees taking revenge on their bosses… and armed military units using the event as cover for the genocide of hundreds of lower income citizens. The First Purge is the story of how it all began.

  • Review: ‘Early Man’ has fun with one of the world’s oldest sports (Includes first-hand account)

    Since no one could have physically lived through the ancient past, particularly the start of humankind, it’s challenging to envision what life could’ve been like then… but it can also be fun to imagine the innovative ways people may have used the things around them to enjoy some of life’s current luxuries. The Flintstones was the prime example of this as prehistoric man co-existed with dinosaurs and built a pretty “high-tech” city, complete with amenities and primitive versions of various electronics. The latest imagining comes from the very talented team at Aardman Animations, as they present Early Man.

  • Review: It’s ‘Spring’ and all manner of love is in the air (Includes first-hand account)

    Monsters and romance are not a new pairing. King Kong, Beauty and the Beast and Shrek are good examples in which a connection is established between a woman and her monstrous companion. However the reverse, in which the female is the more ghastly of the two, has not been explored as frequently. In Spring, love is truly blind and completely committed.

  • Review: TIFF 2019: ‘How to Build a Girl’ has fun finding her way (Includes first-hand account)

    Knowing you have a gift and not being able to use it to its full potential is one of the most frustrating feelings. Add to that the exasperation of being a teenager with few choices, the vexation of not fitting in or being cool, and the annoyance of being relatively poor, and there really is nowhere to go but up… and then possibly back down again really fast and hard. The key is to eventually find the niche that complements the real you and not some version created for dramatic effect. In How to Build a Girl, a young woman finds someone else before finally finding herself.