Albert Brooks documentary on Max
Has anyone watched yet? I am incredibly disappointed. Rob Reiner is such a lazy filmmaker. It's laid out in such a cliche'd, pedestrian way, which is the antithesis of Albert Brooks' comedy. The first 10 minutes are five hundred stars in quick sound bites mentioning how brilliant Albert Brooks is. We know. That's why we're watching the film. Reiner even says 15 minutes later- I know everybody knows your original name was Albert Einstein. Well, if everyone knows that, then why do we need a clip of Sarah Silverman laughing uproariously and nothing else, or Sharon Stone saying something completely useless?
Reiner even takes Brooks to Musso & Franks and they sit at a table and talk about his life. And you watch the archival footage and you can see the brilliance of Brooks, and Rob just waters it down and waters it down. And it's such a standard way of telling his story, starting at his birth. Who cares? Jesus, mix it up, give Brooks a film worthy of him.
A real shame. I was so looking forward to it.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | December 6, 2023 12:31 AM
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KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. Works well for average folks. Next rant?
by Anonymous | reply 1 | November 13, 2023 1:52 AM
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That's the dumbest thing I've read on here today, R1. Congratulations.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | November 13, 2023 1:53 AM
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Albert Brooks is too obscure and highbrow for the trash we have running the show around here now. Concerning cinema, Teacake and the others will respond better to threads about classics like BAPS and Pootie Tang.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | November 13, 2023 7:00 AM
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Hun, my snarky comment wasn't nearly as dumb as your expectation this topic could create animated discussion.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | November 13, 2023 7:20 AM
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Brooks himself hasn't directed a film worthy of himself in almost 40 years.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | November 13, 2023 7:34 AM
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40 years? Not quite. "Defending Your Life" was one of the best films of 1991. "Mother" was a delight. That was 27 years ago. But he's also not what you'd call prolific. He's only ever directed 8 films. He turned more to acting only in the past couple decades. And since "Mother" he's only directed two films.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | November 13, 2023 7:39 AM
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I enjoyed the documentary. I forgot about many of his films and how much I enjoyed them. I need to watch them again to see if they hold up. I remember loving Lost in America, Broadcast News, and that goofy documentary Real Life w/Charles Grodin. For that reason alone - remembering his movies - the doc is worth a view.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | November 13, 2023 9:25 AM
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Albert Brooks was among the small handful of guests I would try to tune in for when I saw he was appearing on a talk show.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | November 13, 2023 12:14 PM
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Sort of off topic but in the documentary, Anthony Jeselnik had a completely different look than the last time I saw him.
Not that I didn't find him attractive before, but I think he looks [bold]really[/bold] good now.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | November 13, 2023 12:35 PM
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Watching the documentary right now after seeing Brooks and Reiner on Bill Maher’s show Real Time on HBO.
It’s interesting to see eras of comedy and the bittersweet stories of under-appreciated “geniuses”. Geniuses in quotes because some of the praise is hyperventilated. Still, I’m enjoying the period footage.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | November 19, 2023 6:11 PM
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I haven't seen the documentary. Loved "Mother."
Rob Reiner was married to Penny Marshall, who was also a director not known for delving deep into undercurrents and providing alternate points of view.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | November 19, 2023 6:46 PM
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Debbie Reynolds was MAGNIFICENT in Mother.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | November 19, 2023 6:49 PM
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I didn’t see any comment from Lorne Michaels, but maybe I missed it because my interest trailed off and I did some chores while the documentary played on my iPad.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | November 19, 2023 9:11 PM
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[quote]Has anyone watched yet? I am incredibly disappointed.
Yes, OP. We all agree that your disappointment does not seem credible.
You're very self-aware and refreshingly honest.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | November 19, 2023 9:13 PM
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He should have won Best Supporting Actor for Broadcast News, he was better than Sean Connery who won for The Untouchables.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | November 19, 2023 9:19 PM
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He had the hairy, masculine alpha-with-a-heart persona that drives me crazy.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | November 19, 2023 11:25 PM
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Not at all my type but I sure fell in love with Aaron Altman in "Broadcast News."
He and Holly Hunter had the hetero equivalent of a gay and hag relationship.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | November 20, 2023 1:09 AM
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My sister watched and told me that his brother Bob was not mentioned even once? What's up with that?
by Anonymous | reply 20 | November 20, 2023 1:22 AM
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His brother was absolutely mentioned in the early section of his childhood.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | November 20, 2023 1:39 AM
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His brother wasn’t funny.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | November 20, 2023 2:28 AM
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His brother, father and mother were mentioned. A lot.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | November 20, 2023 2:32 AM
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Very much once over lightly. His breakdown after repressing his emotions for 15 years may have been interesting, but, zoom, onto the next soundbite.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | November 20, 2023 2:47 AM
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R2, the Liza Minnelli lisp troll and the Vivian Vance thing are both offended and relieved.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | November 20, 2023 3:32 AM
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He's a second rate Woody Allen.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | November 20, 2023 3:17 PM
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I know his films are admired, but the documentary clumsily tries to paint him out to be a comedic Kurosawa. It’s really cloying and overblown. I know I can be flamed hard for this opinion.
It’s undignified to plead that your greatness was muffled by “suits” at the studios, a jealous and stealthily competitive mother, and all these other forces in the universe that conspired against you.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | November 20, 2023 4:16 PM
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The movie Mother was like every Jewish or Italian man’s situation
by Anonymous | reply 28 | November 20, 2023 9:13 PM
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How does he look these days? The man is 76.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | November 20, 2023 9:52 PM
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He wears a wig! Hahahahahaah
by Anonymous | reply 30 | November 20, 2023 10:45 PM
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I loved it and I love him. Never realized how sexy he was in the 70s-no wonder Linda Ronstadt climbed up on that.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | November 21, 2023 5:41 AM
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NYT: ..."has the easy, amiable air of a career retrospective — wistful and hagiographic...the rhapsodic tone of this film makes clear — breathless flattery just isn’t that interesting, no matter how funny the person receiving it. While Brooks deserves acclaim, he deserves it in a format as compelling and dynamic as he is. “Defending My Life” is simply too flat.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | December 6, 2023 12:31 AM
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