DVDpendence . videophile
HECKLER
With Jamie Kennedy, Bill Maher, Carrie Fisher, Arsenio Hall, Jon Lovitz, Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, Carrot Top, David Cross, Joe Rogan, Gilbert Gottfried, Ron Jeremy, Dave Attell, Mike White, Jewel Kilcher, Joel Schumacher
Directed by Michael Addis
Jamie Kennedy is no stranger to being criticized, but after his movie Son Of The Mask (the sequel to Jim Carey's hit) flopped, he took it hard and got depressed (especially the harsh criticism from professional and armchair critics alike). He also noticed how these critics enjoy digging into him sometimes in an inexplicably vicious and nasty way, more often finding creative words to tear him apart as opposed to critical analysis and dissection on its artistic- and entertainment merits, pros, cons and so forth. So together with Michael Addis, he set out to explore what hecklers are all about, both in an audience at a live stand up comedy show, in print and on-line (with the rise of the new heckler era via faceless, often cowardly bloggers with no clue as to what it takes to make a movie, record an album or go on-stage in front of an audience with a stand-up routine, band, play etc.).
Interviewing a great expanse of performers, stand-up comics, actors, directors, musicians, as well as some of the critics and hecklers, the viewer sees it from all sides, the givers and the takers.
Inadvertently and unavoidably, the soap box critic gets exposure in a full feature documentary, but for the most part, their sad and pathetic moment of attention seeking and hyperbole laden exaggerations on how shit something is (or the dumb jabs thrown from the back of the hall at live shows) is exposed by those at the end of their outbursts. Sure, there is the argument that performers place themselves in a position of scrutiny and have to roll with the punches, but does that make them open targets?
Actors and performers can without a doubt be total self-indulgent prats, and have placed themselves in a position where pot-shots are extremely easy. But when it comes to putting years into a movie project or months of your life to sculpt a stand-up comedy act, the dumb response (either shouting or writing) “you suck” is a sad response serving no purpose.
This is a victory for those who'd ever taken the leap into performance. For a brilliant (unrelated) slab of satisfaction for those who'd been heckled, watch Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back for its finale.
5 / B
- Paul Blom
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