MovieChat Forums > Comedian Discussion > People were walking out

People were walking out

posted 21 years ago by coachgns
31 replies | jump to latest

and I am sorry I didn't.
We kept waitng & waiting for something to happen. It was like a freshman film class project, done by someone who should be majoring in Physica or accounting or anything but film. The background overwhelmed the dialogue. Scenes jumped from one to another & back much too quickly. I understand it was shot with a digital camera - well, that wore thin after a few minutes.
When it ended, the whole theatre gave a big sigh of relief. The negative comments went way beyond the "I didn't like it." Several people demanded refunds. People were actually cursing the film.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

This may have been the worst movie I ever saw. At least I am not alone.

BUT - so many good reviews! It just shows that we all have different tastes

[–] GoodBoyTim 21 years ago

The satsifaction of a movie is all about expectations you have going in.

Two possibilities:

1. go into movie expecting to see something like the show 'seinfeld' or to be entertained w/ jokes

- you will hate the movie and think it is dumb

2. go into movie open to learning something about the experience of being a comedian, simply watching something unfold rather than trying to make a plot

- you will enjoy the movie and experience of entering into someone else's life.

[–] Jep_Gambardella 21 years ago

... considered walking out after 15 minutes but am VERY glad I didn't. I won't argue about the technical aspects - it certainly could have been done better - but I loved seeing a little bit of a fascinating world I completely ignored before.

[–] unixkid_11 21 years ago

I always wanted to be a comedian growing up and this movie really shows you what it's like, the movie is perfect!.

Nobody likes you. Everybody hates you. You're gonna lose. Smile, you *beep*

[–] DudeyMcDude 20 years ago

I agree with you. I loved this movie, but to be fair, it gave me exactly what I was expecting. A glimpse into the realities of the profession of being a stand-up comic. This wasn't Jerry Seinfeld Live! It was a humanizing effort that shows even some of the worlds funniest stand-ups have to work at their act for months to make it work and suffer self-doubt and constant frustration along the way. They don't just walk out on the stage with material they wrote the night before.

For anyone interested at all in trying stand-up and doubted themselves or thought they didn't have what it takes, this movie is a huge (and that's an understatement) confidence builder as it shows that no comedian (except the delusional variety) thinks it's an easy profession.

My favourite comment about the harshness of being a comedian was the bit about Jack Nicholson. I think it hit the nail on the head.

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Husker4theSpurs 21 years ago

They must have been not expecting a documentary.

[–] bbgun5310 21 years ago

I rented the DVD the other day and the clerk at Blockbuster even told me, "You know this is a documentary, right?" Apparently, even people who rented the DVD complained that it was boring and not what they expected. Personally, I loved it for 2 reasons:

1. I am a huge Jerry Seinfeld fan, not just the sitcom, but Jerry the comedian.

2. I love documentaries.

If you don't fit both criteria, I could see how you might be disappointed with the film.

[–] MastaC 21 years ago

"People were walking out."

...Well people are obviously idiots. It was a great documentary featuring a wide variety of guest stars. I especially enjoyed the contrast between Seinfeld, highly successful comedian with in my opinion the best sitcom ever, and Orny Adams, a comic who is just starting out. "People" probably expected a movie, not a documentary.

[–] peddlerwhospoke 19 years ago

I agree with you i haven't actually seen the movie yet but (i'm renting it tomorrow) I loved every thing seinfeld did From stand-up to Seinfeld, Stand-up again and now this. even though i haven't actually seen it yet and it probably won't be the best looking film but it will capture my attention because i'm interested in this stuff.

Clerks was funny and it did good in a way this is a remake with a whole diffrent story

[–] phillatio 19 years ago

This is a facinating film that will interest anyone who's ever wondered what it takes to come up with comedy act(just like the tagline says).
If you walked out of the movie, you probably have A.D.D. like me. Here's what you do to avoid that; NEVER go to a movie theater. Watch ALL movies at home where you can relax and pause the movie if you find yourself losing interest.
I also like to ingest large amounts of sticky-icky, which helps me focus on the task at hand.
Just like the previous poster, I rented the movie at blockbuster. It has lots of great extras that you should check out. The comentaries fron Jerry and Colin Quinn are an absolute laugh riot, plus they help provide some great insight.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] beercoma 21 years ago

The people who walked out of Comedian or complained about it were the same people who didn't like Punch-Drunk Love because they were expecting The Waterboy II.

[–] 21 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Tomsriv-1 21 years ago

I liked it, but I could barely hear the dialogue. I would have walked out for that reason alone.

[–] 21 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Excessive 21 years ago

I think people were thrown off by the title COMEDIAN, hoping to see some comedy.

"Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends."

[–] TheMediocreGatsby 20 years ago

Hey, Excess, what's that quote from?

[–] ar87 20 years ago

I haven't seen this yet, but do you think it would have been better suited as a TV documentary? From what you're saying, there's very little actual comedy in it. Most people will NOT like it because it takes time and planning to go see a movie in the theaters. For me it's a pretty big thing, I rarely see movies on the big screen. No matter how well-made the film is, if it's not entertaining, many people will be disappointed.

[–] eyal philippsborn 20 years ago

It's pretty futile to reply a message board posting 6 MONTHS after it was posted but just for the sake of knowledge.
The quote is from the highly recommended Spike Lee movie "The 25th hour".

[–] cmpackar 19 years ago

I can't speak to any type of 'original' sourcing, but I know for a fact it's a line used by Edward Norton in '25th Hour', in a toast in the club.

[–] byght 20 years ago

I agree with your sentiments about the movie being poorly structured and put together, but the WORST movie you EVER saw???? Come ON. The insight gleaned from seeing Seinfeld work and talk to other comedians was enough to keep me interested. I gave it a 5 out of 10, which was maybe a little high, but the point is that you clearly don't have much experience with movies if you're putting this as your worst film ever. Please have the courtesy to peruse and sample the IMDB Bottom 100--those movies are there for a reason.

That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]