Misery Loves Comedy

Jan 23, 2015

1h 34m

★ 6.0

Kevin Pollak explores the dark side of comedy in this fascinating documentary.

Overview

Do you have to be miserable to be funny? More than sixty comedians—including stand-ups, writers, actors, and directors from the US, Canada, and abroad—take on this question, sharing anecdotes and insights with lively enthusiasm.

Genres

Comedy

Documentary

Production Companies

Heretic Films

Misery Loves Comedy Trailers

Cast

Self

Jon Favreau

Self

Kevin Smith

Self

Bobby Cannavale

Self

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Self

Matthew Perry

Self

Whoopi Goldberg

Self

Martin Short

Self

Jimmy Fallon

Self

Christopher Guest

Self

Janeane Garofalo

Self

Judd Apatow

Self

Stephen Merchant

In barely a century, French peasants have seen their world profoundly turned upside down. While they once made up the vast majority of the country, today they are only a tiny minority and are faced with an immense challenge: to continue to feed France. From the figure of the simple tenant farmer described by Emile Guillaumin at the beginning of the 20th century to the heavy toll paid by peasants during the Great War, from the beginnings of mechanization in the inter-war period to the ambivalent figure of the peasant under the Occupation, From the unbridled race to industrialization in post-war France to the realization that it is now necessary to rethink the agricultural model and invent the agriculture of tomorrow, the film looks back at the long march of French peasants.

7.3

Notting Hill

May 21, 1999

London bookstore owner William Thacker's quiet life turns upside down when a chance encounter with famous actress Anna Scott sparks an unlikely romance challenged by their vastly different worlds.

3.8

Amy Schumer: The Leather Special

Mar 6, 2017

Comic sensation Amy Schumer riffs on sex, dating and the absurdities of fame in a bold and uncensored stand-up set at Denver's Bellco Theater.

6.7

It Could Happen to You

Jul 16, 1994

Charlie Lang is a simple, kindhearted New York City cop. When he realizes he has no money to tip waitress Yvonne Biasi, Lang offers her half the winnings of his lottery ticket. Amazingly, the ticket happens to be a winner, in the sum of $4 million. True to his word, Lang proceeds to share the prize money with Biasi, which infuriates his greedy wife, Muriel. Not content with the arrangement, Muriel begins scheming to take all the money.

6.2

Anything Else

Aug 27, 2003

Jerry Falk, an aspiring writer in New York, falls in love at first sight with a free-spirited young woman named Amanda. He has heard the phrase that life is like "anything else," but soon he finds that life with the unpredictable Amanda isn't like anything else at all.

7.6

Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin

Mar 21, 2017

Comedy icon Dave Chappelle makes his triumphant return to the screen with a pair of blistering, fresh stand-up specials. Filmed at The Palladium in Los Angeles, California, in March 2016.

7.1

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life

Nov 12, 2023

Rob Reiner profiles Albert Brooks, comedic legend, acclaimed filmmaker, talented character actor and a lifelong friend, who Reiner first met in their high school drama club.

6.8

Abbuzze! Der Badesalz-Film

Jan 17, 1996

The film mainly consists of various, often grotesque episodes. There is also a frame story from which the episodes are derived. However, the connection between the frame story and the episodes is very weak. Many episodes revolve around surveillance and security. In the frame story, insurance agent Erich and Richard are stuck together in an elevator that is unusually large for an apartment building (about 3x3 meters). While Erich wants to get out as quickly as possible, Richard isn't actually in any hurry, as he seems to live in the elevator.

7.0

Comedy Buddy

Jan 8, 2026

Tawa, a rising stand-up comedian, builds her fame on jokes about her estranged father, Pak Keset, a veteran comic whose career collapses as hers takes off. When she reunites with him to find new material, their uneasy collaborations blurs the boundary between performance and personal reckoning, pulling long-buried scars back into the spotlight.

6.0

The Funny Farm

Feb 18, 1983

The laughs are nonstop as a gang of ambitious young comics strives to make it in the exciting world of stand-up comedy at the famous comedy club in L.A., The Funny Farm. These budding comedy stars are as crazy offstage as they are on: Miguel, America s funniest illegal alien ; Miles, who can t decide if he s a black comic or a comic who happens to be black; Bruce, whose manic act borders on insanity; and Peter, the intense political satirist. The Funny Farm is a hilarious and insightful look into those who live the lives of comedians.

1.0

Suzi Ruffell: Snappy

Nov 18, 2024

Suzi Ruffell likes things snappy: her stand up, her decisions and her suits. ‘Recorded at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre to a sold-out audience, Suzi’s brand new show Snappy is all about settling down (but not settling), becoming a mother (without becoming mumsy) and still worrying about everything – of course she is – have you seen the news? Expect high-energy laughs as she shares stories about her air-fryer-obsessed toddler, crime capers with her dad, and an unexpected encounter with the pop icon who sparked her gay awakening – Mel C.

6.6

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Aug 16, 2002

Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.

No Image

10.0

Democracy Is ...

Jan 31, 2009

The film is a controversy on democracy. Is our society really democratic? Can everyone be part of it? Or is the act of being part in democracy dependent to the access on technology, progression or any resources of information, as philosophers like Paul Virilio or Jean Baudrillard already claimed?

0.0

Beyond a Joke

Nov 5, 2023

Comedian Adam Rowe sets out to explore the question: what is the role of comedy in today’s increasingly divided, febrile and hostile world? In order to answer this, he is tasked to explore the controversial subject of Cultural Appropriation and then deliver a brand new stand-up comedy routine about it to an audience who have been affected by it.

6.1

The Ghost Train

May 5, 1941

Mismatched travellers are stranded overnight at a lonely rural railway station. They soon learn of local superstition about a phantom train which is said to travel these parts at dead of night, carrying ghosts from a long-ago train wreck in the area.

10.0

Baby Face

Oct 31, 2023

A young aging actress reconnects with her former scene partner to ask a vital favor that could change the course of her career.

0.0

Nut Jobs

Jul 16, 2022

Benjamin tells his ex-girlfriend, Angie, that he joined a cell of left-wing terrorists to get revenge on her former boss, who owns a right-wing radio station. His story blends conceptual artists, amateur theatre troupes, hallucinogenic vinyl record and other magical powers. All that nonsense leave Angie wondering if he made that up only to win her back.