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COMEDIAN

A couple of years ago, his hit show behind him, Jerry Seinfeld committed the comedian’s equivalent of career suicide: he retired his entire act. Comedian is the story of a scrappy multi-millionaire hitting small New York City comedy clubs to develop all-new material. The film is interesting as far it goes; we see Seinfeld discussing his bold move with vets like Bill Cosby, Garry Shandling, and Jay Leno, and we hear the Master of His Domain swear — off stage, of course. But what’s the deal? There’s very little actual performance footage, and — though filming this may have been impossible — we get little insight into the way Seinfeld develops bits.

By far the funniest moments involve young comic Orny Adams — and not because his act is any good. The brash Adams, who’s from the Boston area, serves as something of a foil to Seinfeld, and every time he opens his mouth, it’s a train wreck. Observing the insecurities of both Adams and Seinfeld is, if not particularly edifying, never dull. But in the end, this is a film about practically . . . nothing. (105 minutes)

BY MARK BAZER

Issue Date: October 24 - October 31, 2002
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