"I Am Comic"

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on May 10th, 2010

They’re screening the documentary “I Am Comic” tonight in NYC. (The website says it’s presented at the Best of Slamdance, Monday May 10, IFC Center at 8 PM. That’s tonight!)

We got a copy from Ritch Shydner when we were in Los Angeles last month. (Shydner is featured heavily in the film, serving as a spine of sorts– and the narrator– for the exploration of what motivates a comedian and, in his particular case, what motivates a comedian to come back to the stage after a long, self-imposed exile.)

We have a hard time being objective when we watch movies (and documentaries) that deal with standup comedy… often because we know most of the people interviewed and we are intimately familiar with the issues raised. (And this time, we watched the film with two other comics! It turned into “Mystery Standup Theater 3000!”)

It’s getting positive reviews as director Jordan Brady and Shydner exhibit it at various festivals– look for it at Just For Laughs in Montreal and Chicago– and we’re hearing positive buzz on the WWW.

Brady is a former comic, so he’s not coming at this from the outside.

Among those featured are Phyllis Diller, Carlos Mencia, Carrot Top, Kathy Griffin, Dave Attell, Brian Regan and Jeff Foxworthy. (Our favorite moments are 1.) Foxworthy’s recollection of his internal thoughts during his first Carson appearance… he gets an applause break early on in his set and, instead of treasuring the moment and basking in the glory of it, he is compelled to do some heavy duty recalculation of the remainder of his set. “Let’s see… I have a bit about my father at the end… I think I can cut two of the punchlines out to accommodate the applause break…” Priceless! and 2.) Brian Regan’s hilarious recounting of a man in the front row of an early performance being served a giant hamburger and how it totally shifted that man’s attention from Regan to the hamburger. “For the entire time he was eating, I was no longer the headliner… that hamburger was the headliner.” So true!

Catch it when/if you can!

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