‘Dying Laughing’ Take An Insightful Look At Stand-Up Comedy | Film Review

It is often said that a magician never reveals their tricks. The intent being that once you explain the method behind the illusion, the audience’s captivated attention will quickly fade. This is true of almost any art – painting, acting, musicians – as so much of our enjoyment forms through the lens of personal ignorance. With their new documentary, Dying Laughing, directors Lloyd Stanton and Paul Toogood set out to uncover if the same is also true with stand-up comedy.

Cultivated from interviews with over 50 comedians with varying degrees of success, Dying Laughing is searching for tangible truths within the madness of this underappreciated form of entertainment. Where Kevin Pollack’s 2015 documentary Misery Loves Comedy took a look at the inner turmoil a comic endures, here we are offered a more thorough exploration. The rare insight into the nuts and bolts of how these artists compose their respective acts, the endurance race necessary to withstand a tour, and confronting the dreaded heckler.

At the onset, the film appears to be a series of talking head vignettes with established talents (such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Jerry Lewis, Amy Schumer, and the late Garry Shandling) recounting their early career trajectory. As we continue, we hear from a seemingly endless supply of comics – up-and-comers and legendary veterans alike – who offer their very personal take on their chosen profession. The way Stanton and Toogood frame the film is a staggeringly insightful choice, as the testimonials offered are presented in such a way that this wall of voices carries us along their respective journeys as though they were a collective narrative.

We begin with the simple question of why. Why would any person even subject themselves to this? Is it a desperately narcissistic need for attention, or possibly a self-esteem in such despair it craves constant adoration? This naturally blends into the crafting of material, the very introspective nature of humor as a concept, and of course the performance and touring of the final product.

Any of us who have carried any role in entertainment, whether it be direct involvement or simply as a fan, we all believe we understand what it takes to carry the torch of a stand-up comic. What Dying Laughing does so deftly is shine a beacon on a fascinating profession – this finely honed art that combines talent and training – and illuminates the audience in such a way that strengthens not only our appreciation of their sheer brilliance, but perhaps more notably, their resilience.

As we near conclusion, Dying Laughing masterfully weaves in a humanity to the art of stand-up no film has ever approached in terms of clarity. The simple concepts of a heckler or a bombing show and how these aspects affect the performers on a profoundly personal level cements a touching level of bonding between subject and spectator few documentaries ever successfully attain.

It is here, softly packaged between equal measure of humor and heartbreak, that we finally comprehend the skill of a laugh.

Dying Laughing releases in theaters and VOD February 24, 2017
Featuring interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Mike Epps, Jamie Foxx
Directed by Lloyd Stanton and Paul Toogood