All Rise...

Judge Roy Hrab is a judge in a land before time.

Editor's Note

Our review of Comedian, published June 4th, 2003, is also available.

The Charge

There are no second acts, in American lives. There are, however, a few hecklers.

The Case

Comedian is a story of two men: one is a superstar (Jerry Seinfeld) that has is all, the other (Orny Adams) a young man craving the heights of fame. It's an interesting look at the creative process of comedians.

Originally released in 2002, Comedian marked Seinfeld's first cinematic foray following the conclusion of Seinfeld, the hit television series that made him rich beyond the dreams of avarice. However, he didn't feel like resting on his piles of cash. Instead, Jerry comes up with a new act, based entirely on original material. Comedian documents Seinfeld building a feature length act from scratch. We see him work on new jokes, talk with fellow comics, and take his act into small comedy clubs. Sometimes the jokes work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes the audience and Jerry are in simpatico. When they're not, Jerry crashes and burns.

Young Orny Adams goes through a similar process, although he is starting from an extremely different career point. Adams is looking to make it big, like getting booked at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, or on The Late Show with David Letterman. These are bookings Seinfeld can get with a simple phone call. Orny sweats it out, believing he is the next big thing deserving of superstardom now. At times, this attitude makes Adams appear arrogant. However, he also displays extreme insecurity, comparing his lack of accomplishments with the careers and families of his friends.

Sadly, this Echo Bridge release is a stinker. The 2003 Miramax release of Comedian had a host of extras, English subtitles, a Dolby 5.1 Surround audio track, and an anamorphic widescreen transfer. All of that is absent on this reissue. This release is completely barebones with only a Dolby 2.0 audio track and a full frame transfer. That's it.

If you enjoyed Funny People, you'll like Comedian, but seek out the original DVD release. This edition has nothing to recommend it.

The Verdict

Guilty.

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