'Tis the Season for Comedy Documentaries

I love comedy documentaries. And this season, we are about to get a top of them dropped on us like a foot of snow in Chicago in January. Here’s three that I just watched, and the good news is they are all streaming right now on Netflix.

1. Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story
   Maria Bamford is a unique and original voice in comedy. She is respected by comedians and revered by her fans for her honesty, vulnerability, and quirkiness. In this documentary, we get to see where her pain comes from and how she uses it for her stand-up. Maria has struggled with mental health issues for years, and she bares her soul on the subject. Watching this documentary made me realize how brave she is for making even the darkest subjects funny, and how much admiration I have for her that, as much as she struggles, she has picked a professional that in a weird way helps her confront her demons. At the end of this documentary, we get to know her intimately, and you will love her, even if you don’t like her comedy.
   
   Rating: Highly, Highly Recommend
   
   
2. Who Is Martin Mull?
   As a kid watching TV in the ’70s and ’80s, I really liked Martin Mull. Like Bamford, he wasn’t doing what other stand-ups were doing. There was an element of performance art in his stand-up, and there was a freshness in what he was doing. Bob Saget, who was a friend and influence on Mull, started directing this documentary back in 2018 before Saget’s death in 2022 and Mull’s death in 2024, so there is a sadness inherit in this film. Mull is not very revealing in the documentary, we do get to know from his brother about how traumatic Mull’s childhood was. And Mull is very honest and open about his drinking, which affected his performing and life. Comedians are complicated people, though Mull doesn’t identify as a comic, but as a painter, and a very accomplished one. In fact, it was his painting that he was most proud of and what brought him the most joy. As sad as this documentary is, it left me with hope that he lived a life that was creatively fulfilling, filled with peace and joy. He seemed genuinely happy, and I liked that.
   
   Rating: Highly Recommend
   
   
3. Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald
   I am a huge Norm Macdonald fan, and I have watched a lot of clips of him over the years, so I was looking forward to this new documentary about him, directed by Judd Apatow, who has directed some of my favorite documentaries about other comedians, such as Gary Shandling, George Carlin, and most recently, Maria Bamford.
   
   Unfortunately, in this film, Apatow doesn’t provide a lot of new insights into the genius mind of Macdonald’s comedy. Instead of interviewing people about what Norm was like as a person, Apatow just uses old clips of Norm being interviewed on talk shows and other people talking about his comedy. I can only guess why Apatow did this, and my suspicion is that because Norm was not very revealing, most people didn’t really know the real Norm, so there was no one for Apatow to interview to get more insight into Norm's personality. Yes, Apatow could have included people telling funny stories about Norm, but that would only speak to his eccentricities and not to who he was as a person.
   
   Norm was a brilliant comedian, a guy who was respected by other comedians because he didn’t give a shit about other people’s opinions. I wish Apatow had explored more of that and told us how Norm got this way. Did his individuality help or hurt his career? To me, this film felt more like a best-of-Norm tribute than an actual documentary, and I found it a bit disappointing.
   
   Rating: Recommend, but only if you are a Norm Macdonald fan