Movies You Might Have Missed: Jerry Seinfeld in Comedian

There is a telling moment in the documentary Comedian (2002) that says more about Jerry Seinfeld’s devotion to his craft than any number of interviews. He is backstage in a comedy club deep in conversation with Orny Adams, a struggling newcomer complaining about his successful friends with wives, children and steady jobs.

Seinfeld proceeds to tell the youngster his favourite story about show business, the tale of an orchestra making an emergency landing in the snow. The ensemble trudge through the ice carrying their instruments and come across a small cottage and an idyllic family scene; parents and children laughing together, smoke emanating from the chimney and a hearty meal on the table. One member of the orchestra turns to the other with a look of disgust and says: “How do people live like that?”

Seinfeld lives to make people laugh. In 1998, having wrapped up arguably the greatest sitcom ever made, he decided to retire the stand-up material that made his name after releasing a live album ingeniously entitled I'm Telling You for the Last Time. Comedian chronicles the efforts of a man starting from scratch but Christian Charles’s film is no mere hagiography. At one point, a clearly panicked Seinfeld desperately struggles to recall the wording of a joke while on stage and is heckled with the words, “Is this your first time doing this?” It gets a huge laugh but is clearly not the kind the comic would have been craving.

As a counterpoint to the established star, the documentary also focuses on Adams, an up-and-coming stand-up with an unhealthy arrogance and sense of entitlement. Adams feels the world owes him a living, whereas Seinfeld, despite having reached the pinnacle and not exactly needing the money, is determined to prove that he is still capable of generating material to rival his finest work.

The film is neither conventional documentary nor standard concert film. The difficulties categorising the picture were perfectly captured with the inspired trailer in which veteran voiceover artist Hal Douglas entered a recording booth and began uttering the usual clichés like “In a world…” and “When everything you know is wrong” before being told it wasn’t that kind of movie and being unceremoniously fired. Trust Seinfeld to bring a certain meta-knowingness to even a film teaser.

Stand-up is the great leveller and it is a joy to see Seinfeld share horror stories backstage with the likes of Ray Romano, Garry Shandling and Chris Rock, even if the affection displayed towards Bill Cosby can make for uncomfortable viewing in 2017.

Despite this, here is a portrait of obsession that perfectly encapsulates the manner in which some artists are consumed by their work, thus functioning as both handy guidebook and cautionary tale. The only question that remains is: how do people live like that?