As a subcategory of the horror genre, the exorcism film does not have the best reputation. For every The Exorcist, there are a dozen Posessed’s and Beyond the Door’s. Yet, when done well, there is rarely something as profoundly [...]
Most Americans are familiar with television personalities: the hosts that blur the line between actor, reporter, and comedian. Rarely are viewers given the opportunity to look behind the television screen, behind the carefully posed armchairs, behind the interview and see the real personality. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop is that rare chance.
Most Americans are also familiar with the story of Conan. Conan, whose early work includes The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live, moved on to host Late Night for 15 years. In 2009, he graduated to the Tonight Show, a role previously filled by Primetime veteran Jay Leno. After a series of rating drops, rescheduling, and strategic discussions, Conan exited NBC with a sizable severance and a stipulation prohibiting television appearances for the following 6 months.
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop takes place during those 6 months, when Conan resorted to a more classical means of entertainment through the Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour.
While the documentary is structured around the 30 city tour, it is no standard road movie. One might expect that a histrionic personality such as Conan's would require a documentary of his tour to involve him as the focus of every scene. Instead, the film pays particular attention to Conan’s relationships with his crew, from his charming and often stubborn assistant Sona Mosvesian (unjustly not included in IMDB’s cast) to the ever deadpan Andy Richter.
Director Rodman Flender’s judgment is to be admired: Conan’s jokes are matched almost evenly with witty repertoire with his accomplices, showing us that the hilarity of the Conan personality is not limited to his public appearances (though it’s worth noting that he doesn’t balk at making his private hilarity public). The result is a character that is no longer a host, but rather a person, who scoffs at his young assistant’s treatment of her mother, who apologizes for statements against his friends, and who sardonically comments on his own behavior, with comments such as, “I’m sick of people saying I’m drunk with power and I’ve lost perspective” when he compares his writers’ room to the Louvre.
The construction of Conan’s non-television (or legally prohibited to be on television personality) is the most pervasive and profound part of the documentary. We see his banter with his crew; we see his crew laughing at his off-screen shenanigans. We see that Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop punching people--an element he recognizes when he asks, “Why am I always punching everyone? It’s not acceptable.” We see his attempts to “keep it lean,” his bad dance moves, the slow flagging of exhaustion, the eye vein that persists through the powder. We see the real person.
But the film is not just a fair trade, a personality for a comedian. It is a true portrait of an artist and all of his idiosyncrasies (that he [or the director] chooses to display). At the beginning of the film, Conan is asked, “Do you think you could have fun without an audience in front of you?” That is the predominant question of the film. While most viewers are comfortable with mainstream comedy, how many are aware of the personalities that supply the jokes? The documentary presents Conan as a slave to his desire for the spotlight, addicted to the attention and strained because of it. Conan’s personality changes dramatically between the stage and the sofa backstage, from outgoing and exuberant to tired and drained. While Conan is a comedian, we see that he is also a man addicted to attention, like a child that acts out even for negative consideration, and we still love him for it.
As with most comedians, any truthful insight into the personality is masked with humor--though few closeted insecurities come off as hilarious as Conan’s. By the end of the film, Conan may be exhausted, but viewers will be excited by the hilarious jokes, the insightful views into Conan’s life, and the chance to experience his tour even if they didn’t make it to one of the live shows. Because, as Charlie Chaplin observed, “While life may be a tragedy in close-up, it proves to be a comedy in the long shot.”
Most Americans are also familiar with the story of Conan. Conan, whose early work includes The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live, moved on to host Late Night for 15 years. In 2009, he graduated to the Tonight Show, a role previously filled by Primetime veteran Jay Leno. After a series of rating drops, rescheduling, and strategic discussions, Conan exited NBC with a sizable severance and a stipulation prohibiting television appearances for the following 6 months.
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop takes place during those 6 months, when Conan resorted to a more classical means of entertainment through the Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour.
While the documentary is structured around the 30 city tour, it is no standard road movie. One might expect that a histrionic personality such as Conan's would require a documentary of his tour to involve him as the focus of every scene. Instead, the film pays particular attention to Conan’s relationships with his crew, from his charming and often stubborn assistant Sona Mosvesian (unjustly not included in IMDB’s cast) to the ever deadpan Andy Richter.
Director Rodman Flender’s judgment is to be admired: Conan’s jokes are matched almost evenly with witty repertoire with his accomplices, showing us that the hilarity of the Conan personality is not limited to his public appearances (though it’s worth noting that he doesn’t balk at making his private hilarity public). The result is a character that is no longer a host, but rather a person, who scoffs at his young assistant’s treatment of her mother, who apologizes for statements against his friends, and who sardonically comments on his own behavior, with comments such as, “I’m sick of people saying I’m drunk with power and I’ve lost perspective” when he compares his writers’ room to the Louvre.
The construction of Conan’s non-television (or legally prohibited to be on television personality) is the most pervasive and profound part of the documentary. We see his banter with his crew; we see his crew laughing at his off-screen shenanigans. We see that Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop punching people--an element he recognizes when he asks, “Why am I always punching everyone? It’s not acceptable.” We see his attempts to “keep it lean,” his bad dance moves, the slow flagging of exhaustion, the eye vein that persists through the powder. We see the real person.
But the film is not just a fair trade, a personality for a comedian. It is a true portrait of an artist and all of his idiosyncrasies (that he [or the director] chooses to display). At the beginning of the film, Conan is asked, “Do you think you could have fun without an audience in front of you?” That is the predominant question of the film. While most viewers are comfortable with mainstream comedy, how many are aware of the personalities that supply the jokes? The documentary presents Conan as a slave to his desire for the spotlight, addicted to the attention and strained because of it. Conan’s personality changes dramatically between the stage and the sofa backstage, from outgoing and exuberant to tired and drained. While Conan is a comedian, we see that he is also a man addicted to attention, like a child that acts out even for negative consideration, and we still love him for it.
As with most comedians, any truthful insight into the personality is masked with humor--though few closeted insecurities come off as hilarious as Conan’s. By the end of the film, Conan may be exhausted, but viewers will be excited by the hilarious jokes, the insightful views into Conan’s life, and the chance to experience his tour even if they didn’t make it to one of the live shows. Because, as Charlie Chaplin observed, “While life may be a tragedy in close-up, it proves to be a comedy in the long shot.”
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