Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

jerrodlwilliams While "The Late Shift" tells the behind-the-scenes story of the battle for the coveted role of host of the Tonight Show after Johnny Carson's retirement, depending on your view of the world, the film, a docu-drama, may leave you forever seeing Jay Leno as a petty, ambitious, and ruthless; and as having forced Carson's premature retirement. You may also come away with the conclusion that Jay, a hard-working professional entertainer, fought for, and won, the jewel of his profession that un-sympathetic NBC executives dangled before him at the expense of David Letterman, who had faithfully served them for years on their implicit promise of the highest prize they could give–the job of hosting the Tonight Show.As a result of the well-publicized (and over dramatized) war for the Tonight Show job, Jay no doubt gained many fans but lost many more. Surely millions of Americans (even with the recovery in ratings Jay enjoyed after the drop that followed his initial installation as host) continue to blame him for the loss of their nightly guest into the bosom of their homes. But to truly understand Jay's campaign for the hosting position you must view his fight after seeing him in the Jerry Seinfeld documentary "Comedian." Viewing Jay's life, and the life of the stand-up comic, from the behind the curtain standpoint the documentary provides, will permanently absolve Jay of any perceived wrong-doing in connection with the Tonight Show."Comedian" ostensibly follows Seinfeld's foray back into the world of the "working" stand-up after ending his record setting television series. Since everyone knows Seinfeld could have easily, and expected that he would, rest on his laurels from leading "the best comedy in television history," its easy to think a film documenting his return to stand-up as an attempt at self-aggrandizement. The film shows that Seinfeld's return to stand up does not come from a desire to give a gift in return to a first love that gave him more than it ever could have promised.And the film itself is much more than an homage to his love. The film is a window into the craft itself and a sometimes brutal exposition of the people who love her. That love is no more evident in any of the films' participants–truly the legends of the art–than in Jay Leno. His love for his art exonerates Jay for any hurt or jealousy remaining from his ascension to the throne of comedy and raises him to a national treasure in American entertainment. Although Jay has announced his own retirement from Tonight Show host, I can only pray his departure is on his own terms and not accelerated by illness. Good luck, Jay.

Jonathan Dore A catalogue of disappointments.Any film-maker who thinks the built-in mic on his hand-held video camera is good enough to provide the sound for a documentary feature should never have been allowed to graduate from film school. You would have thought the fact that many of the scenes take place in crowded, indoor spaces with reverberant surfaces (comedy clubs in basements, low-ceilinged restaurants, green rooms etc) would have given him a clue that the sound was going to need some help, but he seemed to prefer to capture his venues' authentic ambiance of inaudibility. Apart from the sheer technical incompetence, this decision also means it's difficult to know what's actually going on. What were the producers thinking when they allowed him to get away with this? Second, Christian Charles is so in love with his subject he can't conceive that not everyone will know who everyone in the film is, so he doesn't even bother with the simple courtesy of a name at the bottom of the screen the first time each person appears. Unless for some reason he specifically wants to limit his audience to the United States, that's not a very smart move. Again, the producers don't seem to have grasped a rather obvious issue.Third, the material just isn't interesting enough. Very, very seldom are we allowed to hear a joke all the way through to the punchline, and although that's not what the film's primarily about, a film-maker with any sense would realize that getting some laughs out of the experience is what would make sitting through the comedians' tediously solipsistic backstage self-examination worthwhile. Every laugh we get is like a glass of water to someone lost in the desert. It's what people listen to comedians *for*, Chris. We don't do it because they're interesting people.

JamesGriswold I have watched this twice and it seems you have to personally want/need to entertain to appreciate it. The process of performing or a performance is both immensely nerve racking and ultimately very satisfying. Comedian will draw you in to that process as opposed to entertaining you as a viewer with stand-up comedy. The main quest is the pursuit of a lengthy comedy act. Seinfeld's personal struggle is not intensely dramatic or humorous but rather very compelling to you the performer; "how can I validate myself all over again when I don't need the money, what am I here for?" I would recommend this to anyone who wants to do stand-up or sketch comedy or theater, or any other live performance for that matter. If this is you then you will appreciate the process Seinfeld goes through because it is the journey back to his calling, what made Seinfeld matter to you and me.

robototron This is a well-made documentary, that unfortunately is derailed by two fatal flaws:1. Aside from Jerry Seinfeld, Orny Adams is another comedian featured in this film (though you wouldn't know it from the DVD cover); and he's featured pretty heavily (i'd say it's roughly 60 percent Jerry Seinfeld, and 40 percent Orny Adams). Orny Adams is not funny. Orny Adams is not sympathetic. Orny Adams is not interesting or complex or compelling. Every moment that Orny Adams is on the screen is every moment you, the viewer, will be repulsed. He is arrogant and ungrateful. And when you hear his material, you have to wonder just where the hell his sense of entitlement came from. By all rights, this film should have ruined his career in this field. If it did, then maybe it IS worth it.2. By the end of the movie, there is one universal thing you can understand about stand up comedians (at least the ones featured in this film): They all have a contempt for their audience. It's disappointing, because even though we rationally understand that we don't really know Jerry, or Colin Quinn, we DO feel like there's something familiar. But, in this film, the audience is so repeatedly and harshly criticized, it's appalling. When the audience is responsive, Jerry Seinfeld mocks them for having the notion that they can relate to the comedy. Colin Quinn makes a comment about how being comfortable as a comedian means that you make the audience laugh, but you don't care about them laughing. And yet, the audience members are the first ones blamed for poor performances. Over and over again, the audience is called idiots, or worse. And while the comedians continually cut down the audience (whether as a comedic device, or out of true malice), the audience is crucified if they attempt any criticism.The only moments of introspection and tenderness are when comedians are either talking to each other, or comedians of even higher stature. So, while the audience is being ridiculed and belittled and blamed for the comedians' poor jokes, Seinfeld shares a very poignant with Bill Cosby, who rattles off some cliche and rambling sentiment about performing. Seinfeld responds by saying that it is one of his greatest joys to be able to know Cosby. Never is there even a fraction of this appreciation for the paying and appreciative audience. Perhaps the comedians in this film would be most happy performing for each other in some Algonquin Roundtable setup.Well made, but its own material is its own worst enemy. I think the same can be said for Orny Adams' career, but that's aside from the point.