There’s a pain in life that comedians know all too well, which directors Lloyd Stanton and Paul Toogood shine a spotlight on in the new documentary, “Dying Laughing.”
As Stanton and Toogood show in their documentary, a collection of interviews ranging from the Mount Rushmore of stand-up comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Kevin Hart, to lesser known talents, it’s actually often not the audience who are the ones dying from laughter. Speaking to a number of less than glamorous moments that every stand-up has to share, from disastrous early comedy sets (“bombing”), taking an act on the road and the loneliness it brings, audience “heckling” turning into insults and threats, to re-examining why they choose to do this in the first place, the documentary provides a unique behind-the-curtain look at these struggles and stresses that are so woven into these artists’ craft.
Running at just eighty-nine minutes, “Dying Laughing” shoots all of its famous faces in black and white against flat white backdrops, giving a unifying aesthetic to the whole film. This look, without much use of music or score underneath their emotionally vulnerable stories, lends a viewing experience that’s more of a studied watch, an intellectual understanding of comedy, which gives this a bit more heft than other documentaries on the subject.
From Jerry Seinfeld observing that “comedy is purely a result of your ability to withstand torture,” Sarah Silverman talking about needing the approval of strangers, Kevin Hart scrolling through pages upon pages of logged ideas and “bits” in his iPhone, to Amy Schumer talking about finding her comedic inspiration, to Cedric the Entertainer talking about being called the “N-word” on one such stand-up occasion, there is a vast amount of stories that the documentary features. “Dying Laughing” further contextualizes the role of the stand-up comedian in this modern age, with Chris Rock opening “we’re the last philosophers – everybody that talks now is taking with a pre-approved scripts.”
It’s clear that the directors themselves are clued into the sense of self, spirit, and struggle comedians hold, usually coming from a real sense of internal struggle and depression. For those who would be just as interested in the existential crisis that accompanies comedians’ craft as they would their jokes, this documentary has much to offer.
“Dying Laughing” will most appeal to those who aren’t so much looking for actual laughs, but who are curious to learn more about the people who work their whole lives to earn them. The documentary also features an interview from the late and great Garry Shandling, who the film is dedicated to. “Dying Laughing” is at both times poignant and profound, and adds another layer to the truth about comedy and its crucial place in the world today.
