Dying Laughing
- 2017 documentary
Film interviewing some of the world's top comedians about performing stand-up. Features Chris Rock, Billy Connolly, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Provenza, Sarah Silverman and more.
Press clippings
Dying Laughing review
The endless conveyor belt of talking heads does rather lose its lustre over time, and some actual stand-up would have been welcome, but there's a dizzying amount of insight.
Gwilym Mumford, The Guardian, 16th June 2017Dying Laughing review
Juxtaposing the monochrome talking heads with colour snapshots of life on the road, the co-directors convey something of the agony and ecstasy of a potentially soul-destroying vocation.
David Parkinson, Radio Times, 16th June 2017Comedians reflect on the highs and lows of stand-up
How many of us have thought about having a crack at stand-up comedy? I mean, how hard can it be, right? Perhaps the best answer to that question comes from actor and stand-up comic Paul Provenza. "We're asking a room full of hundreds of people to have an involuntary physical response simultaneously," Provenza explains. "It's f--king weird."
Rupert Hawksley, The Telegraph, 15th June 2017Dying Laughing review
All in all, this introspective look at stand-up comedy does a good job of making fun of its own self-centredness. When British comedian Sean Lock says "this is the danger of talking about it, you sound like a wanker", you can't help but agree with this statement.
Linda Marric, Hey U Guys, 14th June 2017Dying Laughing movie review
The truth and honesty of the stories can be funnier than any joke, which is where Dying Laughing finds its emotional and entertainment hook.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 12th June 2017Review: Dying Laughing
Garry Shandling, who died last year, and to whom the movie is dedicated, may have the most sage advice. He calls stand-up comedy a "calling," which he warns "is too painful and difficult" for anyone to pursue casually.
Stephen Holden, The New York Times, 23rd February 2017Dying Laughing review
Because co-directors Lloyd Stanton and Paul Toogood are Brits, Dying Laughing features more British comics than might be expected, the most prominent being Steve Coogan and Billy Connolly, but their stories follow the same patterns as the Americans'.
Kenneth Turan, LA Times, 23rd February 2017Dying Laughing review
Dying is easy, comedy is hard in the new UK documentary Dying Laughing.
J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader, 22nd February 2017