I hope this guy never makes it, cause if he did wouldn't be gratefull. I think he was in this so people would not hate Jerry, which i admit worked because I normally am not a fan of his comedy but respected him lots more when compared to Adams.
shareMy bud and I took to calling him "Ornery Adams" after seeing his best side in this. Granted his "I hope my future wife is having fun tonight" schtick was pretty amusing, but I imagine this guy's talent better far outweigh his nasty disposition (not likely) or he's screwed. Some people have a talent for turning rage and loathing into comic genius, but Orny hasn't seemed to have gotten past turning it on himself, and it's hard to get people to care enough to laugh at him.
shareHe seemed like the type of guy who would go crazy. The world doesn't make sense and most comedians use comedy to ease the tensions, but Adams seems to let the rage fuel him. He seems too wrapped up in "making it" rather than just going with it. Jerry seemed to think this too.
shareThe guy's a monster now. Just think what he'd be like if he was a success. Roseanne Barr and Madonna would pale compared to him. Not to mention, he looks more than a tad hyperactive. Blow? Who knows?
Though his ego HAS reached Seinfeld's sense of self-importance. Birds of a feather.....
I see a Gig Young-ish ending for him.
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I watched that thing and hated every second I saw this guy ... he's such an pathetic idiot! Sorry for that, and on stage he's kinda alright, but I want to kill people when I hear him talking normally.
"Stop trying to control everything and just let go."
- Tyler Durden in Fight Club
I guess the director was counting on the train wreck factor, it's horrible but you can't look away...
shareI seem to have a slightly higher opinion of the man than others here. You have to keep in mind that there were probably hours of footage of the man and the director decided which side of Orny we saw. This doesn't neccisarily mean that he's not an ass, he probably is...but we probably saw his most assish moments.
But I think the biggest saving grace in my eyes is that he seemed properly humbled in the "Where's Orny Now?" section on the DVD...even somewhat on the Glick interview. Ehh, those are my thoughts on it anyway.
The impression I got of him was that he was just young. Thats very clear when he and Jerry are talking and Jerry is dumb founded by Orny's desire to make huge bucks. Jerry clearly understands comedy is not about money, its about the challenge and laughs and while Orny doesn't really understand this yet he will.
shareNice of you to try to be forgiving, but he ain't THAT young. He was 29 and/or 30 (he said both ages) and had been in the business for 8 years at the time of the movie. Sure, there are some late bloomers in show business, but not many.
The simple fact is that he just isn't funny. He's hacky and frantic and he blames the audience for not laughing at him. Contrast that with Seinfeld's admission that when he bombs, he bombs. He admits that sometimes he just isn't "on." The time of day doesn't matter, the location doesn't matter, and the audience doesn't matter - not in the final analysis. If you're funny you're funny and if the material is good the people will laugh.
I didn't laugh at a single thing Orny said, except to laugh AT him when he dared ask "So where's Steven Wright NOW?" and got slapped back with "He's one of the greatest comedians of our time, and he's with his academy award."
Talk about an ignorant fool. Trash-talk about one of the funniest, most highly-respected and SUCCESSFUL comedians of the past 20 years coming from a never-was like "Orny." More like IRONY.
He came across as neurotic, paranoid, delusional, bitchy, whiny, and waaaaaaaaay overly self-impressed. He also seemed to care much more about being a "star" and whining about his life than he seemed to care about really being a comedian, which is why Jerry just couldn't understand his thinking at all.
So yeah, he seemed like an idiot and an ass. But again - and worst of all for him - his main problem is that he Just Isn't Funny.
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Wow. What an incredibly unfunny horse's ass.
shareI thought his stand-up was funny, but I agreed with what his manager told him. You'll make it but you won't be happy. He was just to self-absorbed.
shareI think he's a good comedian, but as a person I think he's not cool at all. The editing didn't do him any justice on this documentary either, but, then again, what can you project about someone who spends all his time complaining and whining. Some of the things he said about audiences were too harsh, if I ever see his act I probably won't laugh, because I'd think that he'd be backstage after the show complaining about how awful his audience was and how cruel life is, that's the type of guy he is.
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Orny really sucks. If he is the most promising comedian out there, we have reached a new low. Every time he showed up, I would just fast-forward to the next Jerry sequence. What a cocky, conceited loser.
For movie chat minus the idiots, check out http://trebas.hyperboards.com.
I agree with the general thoughts about Orny, I didn't like him either. But that doesn't say that he's a bad comedian, which some of the comments on this forum suggest.
I found a comment from Jerry Seinfeld himself about how he thinks about Orny on the internet:
"I love the way Orny comes off in the film," Seinfeld says. "Any comedian, successful comedian, has a similar arrogance and ego. If you don't have that, then this is not your kind of profession. There's no successful, timid bullfighters." "To me, when I watch the film, I see in my face, Orny Adams," he says, laughing. "I'm a little more clever about hiding it. I've learned to be a little smoother."
"You need that kind of arrogance," Seinfeld comments. "If you don't have that huge ego . . . you won't make it in this game. He's saying everything comedians think. You know that Visible Man model you had in anatomy class? He's the Visible Comic."
"The truth is, I see all of myself in him. Except I've been around long enough to know how to disguise it better. The thing that made it great for the film is that he [Mr. Adams] doesn't censor himself. So to me it's two perspectives on the exact same guy. Only I'm just a little more polished and a little more careful about what I say."
Seinfeld was asked: Q: What's happened to Orny Adams, the young comic in the movie? A: "He's still Orny Adams. He's still a comedian. He's living in L.A. now and doing his act at clubs out there. ... Everyone has a different reaction to him. That's why, to me, he makes the film. He kind of shows this unvarnished comedy id that I think people have a strong reaction to. But it's pure. It's honest. It's the way people feel a lot of times. To me, he's the key to the whole film. It's the uncovered emotion. I've been around too long to be that honest."
www.ornyadams.com
I disagree a bit with Jerry about Orny "making the movie", I think the best thing about the movie is the way that the relations between are shown. You can just see the difference in the relations between Jerry and Orny, Jerry and George Shapiro, but especially Jerry and Bill Cosby.
Last thing I want to say about the movie, maybe more a comment for the first forumsubject (People were walking out), is that I thought the direction in this movie was great. Especially the last half hour. The tension in the Cosbyscene and the building towards the end. The end was great, and the song in trhe end was well picked and especially the stills during the credits were wonderful.
Great documentary 8/10
My thoughts after watching "Comedian" weren't centered around Seinfeld, but Adams. I thought he was arrogant througout the entire thing, and while he seems to be dedicated to comedy, he already acts like he's made it in the business and has the right to be a jerk.
His comedy was ok, but nothing I thought was original enough to get him anywhere. What was that where he expected someone to open the car door for him?? Since he was a "comedian" I thought he was joking, but after you watch it you realize he's not.
The bit about the future wife was about the only thing I laughed at. The stand up was mediocre.