Insightful and often hilarious, the latest from the Canadian documentary filmmaker surveys the history of Jewish comedy, from the early days of Borscht belt to the present, ultimately exploring not just ethnicity in the entertainment industry, but also the entire unruly question of what it means to be Jewish.
The film features interviews with and clips of jokes from some of the most famous Jewish comedians, including Alan King, Rodney Dangerfield, David Steinberg, Shelley Berman, Jackie Mason, Jack Carter, Stewie Stone, and Howie Mandel.
It also includes some of the new younger such as Elon Gold, Modi, and Cory Kahaney.
Here's the film's trailer. You can download and play the entire film instantly at Netflix.com. It's also available at Amazon.com.
Enjoy!
(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)
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I saw this on Netflix a few months ago. It's interesting but a bit odd. A lot of the people being interviewed really didn't seem to understand exactly what Alan was asking them or what he was after. It really seemed like he made the movie to work through some personal issues he had (not that there's anything wrong with that). I hope it was therapeutic for him. It is worth watching, but didn't live up to my expectations.
ReplyDeleteI found it enjoyable, but it definitely had its shortcomings. Where were the women? Where were other influential people? Mel Brooks? Carl Reiner? Woody Allen? Sid Caesar? And 50 others! I think Alan tried, but someone should take this footage and make it into a bigger, better, more comprehensive documentary that is a 7-part series. I'd watch that.
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