Mike Epps, Tommy Davidson, and Felipe Esparza join Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, Cedric The Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Keenan Ivory Wayans and more, on the cast of “Dying Laughing”– a documentary discussing exhilarating realities of stand-up comedy and comedic life from the first-hand perspectives of some of the most notorious comedians in the game.
This brilliant documentary allows the audience to connect candidly with their favorite comedians to witness the real, raw truths of what their journeys have consisted of in the world of comedy. Directors Paul Toogood and Lloyd Stanton brilliantly capture the essence of each comedian’s nuances – balancing the brutal, ominous reality of their career paths with intriguing elements of comic relief.
The heartfelt, honest responses from each comedian provide some of the most memorable one-liners. The documentary offers an introspective look at the acts’ psychological vulnerabilities and daily struggles – a side that goes unaddressed in an industry that demands unwavering courage and persistence.
Comedians are people, and they’re not exempt from the daily mental hurdles we all jump at some point in our lives. Keenan Ivory Wayans states in the film,
“Comedians are damaged people; they’ve gone through a lot of painful experiences in their life, and they’re very vulnerable people. The shield is, ‘Hahaha, I can laugh at this.’ But that doesn’t change the pain. So, when these guys go back to their life, that pain is still there.”
Everyone has their own outlet for self-expression, something they can transform through, and feel free enough in, to be their true selves. However, it goes without saying that insecurities are inescapably triggered in a scenario that blends that same mode of pure self-expression with a head-on collision of external judgment and sense of self-worth. Jerry Seinfeld reflects on the importance of persistence in a career that makes you question everything,
“Comedy is purely a result of your ability to withstand self-torture. That’s where you get great comedy. Your ability to suffer and go, ‘That damn thing still doesn’t work. I’m gonna write it again; I’m gonna try it again.’ And If you’re willing to do that, 85 times for a stupid joke, over the course of many years, great jokes get written.”
There is no doubt that when the truth is unmasked, it reveals that our favorite comedians have battles they fight and continue to grow through. Leading a life of comedy allows them to transform; overcoming adversity and excavating beliefs that aren’t always easy to confront. Amidst the laughter of the audience and the eagerness of the performer, lies a depth of awareness that could only be transmitted from a position of understanding. It is because comedians have dared enough to delve into understanding themselves, that they are able to understand and connect with others so well. Theo Van candidly reflects on the psychological truth behind his profession,
“What weirdo would say, ‘I need to stand in front of 2-3-400 people a night and get them to laugh at me so I can even feel like a regular person enough so I can go to bed?’ Everybody else just watches a little bit of “Modern Family” and that’ a wrap. We’re doing all this bullsh**. I have to drive somewhere to get approval from people and then leave.”
The most enjoyable aspect of the documentary is the resounding irony reflected throughout the entirety of the film; purely visible in the title alone. Many comedians openly admit that their career choice isn’t always as glamorous or fulfilling as viewers expect it to be. Cocoa Brown tells it like it is, holding nothing back,
“It’s lonely. You know, I can be onstage in front of 5,000 people, get a standing ovation and go to my hotel room to complete silence. And I’m looking at the money on the bed, and the room service I just ordered, but I have no one to call.”
Jeff Joseph agrees that life on the road isn’t without its challenges,
“The thought comes to you, which is, ‘I’m insane; I’m going to a place I’ve never been, to a town I’ve never seen and I think I can make these people laugh. I think we have something in common.’ It seems crazy. The hardest part about the road is just feeling disoriented. And if you’re not careful, that slight feeling of ‘Where am I?’, ‘What am I doing?’, ‘What am I connected to?” That slight feeling can get a lot worse.”
The aspects of life that we are conditioned to resist; fear, pain, judgment, change, uncertainty, rejection – these individuals make the conscious choice to run towards on a daily-basis; delving deeper into self- exploration and the awareness of who they are, relative to the world around them. Jerry Seinfeld is no stranger to confronting those feelings of doubt and coming to terms with them over the course of his career,
“The first time you go on stage, you don’t realize how harsh of an environment it actually is. When you watch comedians, when you don’t know anything about the context, it seems like the audience is kind of having a good time anyway. That’s not what’s happening at all. What’s happening is nothing. Absolutely nothing. It’s dead, solid quiet from a room of unhappy people…and you have to start from that.”
Despite the challenges of comedy, comedians bring laughter to people because they feel a calling, a sense of purpose, and derive a sense of enjoyment from their ability to perform. Jamie Foxx describes the purpose behind his passion,
“Jokes are meant to be told, no matter what. In the eye of the storm, you gotta tell that joke. You gotta tell it because you want to; you want to be dangerous; you want to move the needle.”
Being able to affect change in others is a gift that we all have the ability to tap into. Simply by existing, we have that power. We just have to be willing to take a good look at ourselves and confront our beliefs and the meaning we’ve been giving to our experiences. If there’s anything to take away from this powerful documentary it is this – be like a comedian; unapologetically self-aware, heedlessly courageous, and persistently fearless.
The documentary aired on Friday, February 24th and is available on iTunes.
Don’t miss Dying Laughing’s Mike Epps and Felipe Esparza on the Festival of Laughs Tour, and Tommy Davidson on the Center Stage Comedy Tour – both coming to a city near you!
