MOVIES THAT CAME OUT THREE YEARS AGO: Heckler

“If there was any justice in the world, the criminally unfunny (insert name here) would fall down multiple flights of stairs while being attacked by rabid pit bull terriers. Only then, would he experience the degree suffering equivalent to watching his performance.”

The above is not taken from a review, but is a personal writing experiment inspired by the 2007 documentary film, Heckler. I wanted to see if I could write a vitriolic diatribe about a fellow comedian or actor who I’d never met, but whose act I didn’t care for. Sure, I could come up with the hyperbole, but in the end I couldn’t say with any sincerity that the experience of watching a terrible performance was the equivalent of actual physical pain and mental anguish.

This isn’t a problem for many of the (mostly) online reviewers confronted by Heckler’s main subject and producer Jamie Kennedy. In the film’s most compelling moments, Kennedy puts these nervous looking, basement-dwelling, lil’Eberts on camera while he reads aloud their most vicious attacks.  It’s a small degree of vindication for Kennedy and anyone else who’s had their un-funny movie/play/act compared to a war crime.  

What isn’t as clear is the connection he and Director Michael Addis make between film reviewers and the obnoxious, ape-people that interrupt live comedy shows. Kennedy makes the argument that the two are linked through a culture of negativity and hyper criticism. To me, cowardly comedy hecklers who thrive in darkened rooms have more in common with the anonymous cranks who populate online newspaper comment sections with hate and bad spelling. At the very least, the reviewers featured in Heckler put their name beside their work and agree to face Kennedy in person. Yeah, they’re both critical, but I can’t help but think they have very different motivations.    

So why do people heckle live comedy? In the film, Kennedy confronts the hecklers of his live show who are (surprise!) completely inarticulate and aren’t able to rationalize their behavior. As someone who’s watched heckler’s approach comedians post-show and thank them for a wonderful experience, I’ve come to believe that many of these misguided trolls truly feel that they are actually making a contribution to the performance. For others it’s combination of jealousy, uncontrollable rage, and alcohol. 

In the end, watching a who’s who of comedy talent from past and present talk about anything, is my kind of movie. Heckler’s first half is chock full of opinions and stories from a cavalcade of entertainers including Louis C.K., Maria Bamford, Carrot Top, and even the Fonz.  The second half looks at the state of the film criticism, and while it can seem a little disjointed from the first, it is equally entertaining. 

Geoff Hendry

(c) 2010 Showflicks 

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