A Not So Wild and Crazy Guy

 

A hundred or so years ago while a student at Fordham University, I saw a young comedian do his act at the school gym.  He was clever and I was startled to see the venue was not crowded.  

A few years later, I saw the same comic open for...of all people...Helen Reddy.  By then, his comic inventiveness was gaining some notoriety.  Not long thereafter, he hit SNL and Steve Martin was off to the races.

I've liked him ever since as he gravitated from early career gags and magic to starring in some very notable films.  Also a novelist and a playwright, Martin has conquered so many venues.  So, of course, I was naturally interested in the new Apple TV documentary "Steve! (martin) - A Documentary in Two Pieces."  I was curious to see just how much Steve would open up for the cameras run by director Morgan Neville.

As it turns, he is open.  Wide, wide, wide open.  And Steve's soul and insecurities are there for all of us to see.

This film is carved up into two 90 minute portions and there's not a moment I would have cut from that hefty length.  The first part finds Steve guiding you through his childhood, working in a magic store at Disneyland to his early writing career with the Smothers Brothers to his sudden stardom via SNL.  The first piece ends as Steve does his last stand-up gig prior to a career in the movies.

The second half goes backwards.  It is Steve talking with friends like Tina Fey, Martin Short and Jerry Seinfeld as he reflects on the last forty or so years.  Indeed, the emotions conveyed are so raw and real that you feel like Steve is sitting next to you.  In effect, as a human being, Steve has gone through his angst-ridden thirties to his late seventies when he is finally so comfortable with his life that he finally fathers a child.  This film is compelling and inspiring.   In it, Steve Martin goes places where he has never been before.

And, of course, at the heart of most of the ill feelings over time, was a poor relationship with an unresponsive dad.   Indeed, Steve talks about taking his father to the world premiere of "The Jerk" and his dad's only comment was "it's good but you're no Charlie Chaplin."  That stayed with him the rest of his life.

And here's thinking that a lot of this superlative film will stay with you for a while, too.  See it!

LEN'S RATING:  Four stars.

Dinner last night:  Leftover chili.