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I watched the documentary “Comedian” last night. It’s about Jerry Seinfeld putting together a new act. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the creative process. I’ve always liked Seinfeld’s standup and I’ve watched “Seinfeld” for years and still catch episodes almost every day. The documentary was directed by Christian Charles, who seems to be a first-time director (at least according to IMDb) who also shot the film with Gary Streiner (who was Producer) and Mark Plumber. A great soundtrack links the film together and it features a smooth editing style (by Chris Franklin) that weaves together Seinfeld building a new act with up-and-coming comedian Orny Adams.
It’s a rare look at how comedians are like musicians, practicing and honing jokes until they work and then expanding their set with more and more solid material. Seinfeld thinks a lot about this stuff and it’s interesting how he put himself through the way it used to be to assure himself that he still “has it.”
Carolyn summed it up in an odd way in that the film is kind of like “Heart of Darkness” with Bill Cosby as Kurtz… maybe it could be called “Heart of Lightness”…