3 Documentaries About Comedians to Watch Right Now

Besides being an improv nerd, I am an even bigger nerd about documentaries about comedians. I love to hear about comedians' success as much as their struggles. A good documentary has a way of inspiring me. The best ones let us in on the comedian’s creativity, what motivates them, and teaches us something about them that we didn’t know before.

All three of the documentaries that I am about to recommend accomplished that and made me appreciate the comedian’s talent even more.

John Candy: I Like Me (Amazon Prime)
Directed by Colin Hanks

In this documentary director Colin Hanks gives us moving portrait of John Candy, one of the most beloved stars of comedy films, who died of a heart attack in 1994.

Candy started his comedy career at The Second City before becoming the break-out star of the sketch comedy series SCTV. Hanks uses never-before scene footage, home video and some candid interviews from family and friends to show an intimate side of Candy few people are familiar with. I found the people who are interviewed about Candy’s life from his SCTV days, like Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy and producer Andrew Alexander, gave honest and insightful assessments of a person whom they genuinely loved as a friend and collaborator.

What I liked: Don't be fooled by this documentary. Yes, like all the reviews have been saying, it's filled with heart, but it’s also filled with honesty. Many of the people who are interviewed share some of the things that Candy struggled with, including the premature death of his father, to his weight and even his fame. Hanks does a great job of laying out Candy’s body of work, including his movies such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; Vacation; Uncle Buck, and Stripes, as well as SCTV. But what I loved most was that after an hour and 53 minutes, I really got a sense of who Candy was as a real person, not just his public persona. 

Stiller and Meara: Nothing Lost (Apple TV)
Directed by Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller directs this documentary about the comedy team of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, who happen to be his parents. Stiller pulls off a lot in this very personal film. He gives a history of Stiller and Meara’s comedy. He explores his parents’ marriage, not knowing where their act ends and their marriage begins. But Stiller digs even deeper, sharing how he was affected by being raised by show business parents and how it played out in his own family. This is not linear documentary; it’s much more artsy, which makes it more memorable. 
What I like: The fact that Ben Stiller was willing to examine his marriage -- he was separated from his wife at the time that he made this – as well as his relationship with his children and sister, makes this a incredible brave and daring film. There are some really honest conversations that he has with son, wife, and sister. This is a wonderful piece of filmmaking.

Being Eddie (Netflix)
Directed by Angus Wall

"Being Eddie" is a pretty straightforward documentary, covering Eddie Murphy’s childhood to starting stand-up at a very young age to getting cast on SNL and his amazing film career.

Eddie is interviewed at his palatial estate and other stars are interviewed as well throughout. There are some great clips of Murphy’s work and insightful interviews about his career, and you can't help but come away with just how big of an impact he has had on sketch comedy, stand-up, films, and comedy in general. I would agree with some of the reviews that this documentary wasn’t as revealing as it could have been and tended to avoid personal controversies, but it was still an inspiring story.

What I liked: Eddie Murphy. He always made me laugh on SNL and in his movies, but at the height of his fame, he seemed to get caught up in Hollywood and didn’t seem like he was really enjoying it. He had become a rock star, and was rightfully guarded, which is not good for comedy. But now he seems more relaxed and at peace with his life and career. I liked when he got spiritual in the documentary, and I would have liked to see even more of that side of him. When it was over it, I felt the same way about Eddie Murphy that I feel about another comedy legend, David Letterman: He seems happier now.

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