The Comedians of Comedy (2005)

44% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(5,788 ratings)

Four comics take their offbeat brand of humor on the road in this blend of performance video and backstage documentary. Patton Oswalt, best known for his recurring role on the sitcom The King of Queens, wanted to stage a tour doing his standup material, but was hoping to avoid the strictures of time… More Four comics take their offbeat brand of humor on the road in this blend of performance video and backstage documentary. Patton Oswalt, best known for his recurring role on the sitcom The King of Queens, wanted to stage a tour doing his standup material, but was hoping to avoid the strictures of time and material he ran into when playing comedy clubs. Looking for an alternative, he teamed up with friends and fellow humorists Brian Posehn (a former regular on Mr. Show and Just Shoot Me), Maria Bamford (who does cartoon voices in her spare time), and Zach Galifianakis (the star of a short-lived talk show on VH1), and booked a string of dates at rock clubs and college campuses across the country. The Comedians of Comedy features highlights from all four performers' best sets, as well as a glimpse of the ups and downs of life on the road and how they spend their spare time at home. The Comedians of Comedy also provided the jumping-off point for a Comedy Central television series featuring the same four artists. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Michael Blieden
Genres: Documentary, Television, Comedy, Special Interest

In Theaters: Dec 31, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Nov 18, 2005

Critic Reviews

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
While there is a great deal of laughter among the quartet, there's scarcely a giggle in it for the audience.
Laura Kern, New York Times
Michael Blieden's indulgent and often numbingly slow documentary follows four semiknown comedians on a tour of the United States.
Akiva Gottlieb, Village Voice
Watching the quartet doing laundry, playing arcade games, or getting haircuts evokes the banality of road life far too accurately, and at 105 minutes, the film hardly leaves us wanting more.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
When the Kings and Queens have come and gone, it's all about the Comedians
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...Oswalt's one-hour Comedy Central special contains more laughs than this...
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
dull and lazy
Don R. Lewis, Film Threat
Between the stand-up routines and the day to day craziness, there's hardly a chance to catch your breath.
Oz, eFilmCritic.com
Credit the talent for their skill and timing and ability to riff, but also [credit director] Michael Blieden, who shows that his work on Melvin Comes to Dinner was no fluke.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Steve K

Being a relatively recent fan of Patton Oswalt, I was excited to watch this documentary about the tour he did a few years back with Brian Posehn, Zach Galifianakis, and Maria Bamford. Sadly, if you're already familiar with the material then all you get are wacky backstage… More
Being a relatively recent fan of Patton Oswalt, I was excited to watch this documentary about the tour he did a few years back with Brian Posehn, Zach Galifianakis, and Maria Bamford. Sadly, if you're already familiar with the material then all you get are wacky backstage hijinks, some of which are funny and some which are not. No real insight into the people themselves, other than watching Oswalt and Posehn embrace and discuss their nerdiness on comic shop Wednesdays.
David L

To start here I have to begin by saying comedy is subjective and everyone has their own opinion of what is funny and what is not. Personally, I found this to be a terrifically funny and entertaining look at what life on the road is like for many modern-day comedians. Patton Oswalt has… More
To start here I have to begin by saying comedy is subjective and everyone has their own opinion of what is funny and what is not. Personally, I found this to be a terrifically funny and entertaining look at what life on the road is like for many modern-day comedians. Patton Oswalt has always been a favorite of mine, but I very much enjoy Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford and Zach Galifianikis as well. Maybe it's because I more closely identify with them and their "off-beat" personalities, this probably stems from the fact that I've been a proud "nerd" all my life. These are people who were brave enough to stand out by simply being themselves and not trying to fit into any category or alter their personalities in order to endear themselves to a wider audience. Brian and Patton are 40- year old comic book lovers, how could you not find that refreshing? Too many people take life much too seriously and spend most of it worrying about what everyone else thinks of them, these are INDIVIDUALS who could not care less about that. The comedy in this film is not always laugh-out-loud funny, but it is not forced. It's honest and unapologetic, which is what comedy is really all about. A great documentary, check it out
_kelly .

too stoned review: cant ber bothered typin right now just wasnr funny comedians r boring two days later review: This doc follows the comics it says it does only to reveal something most of us already know -comedians are fucking boring. Yeh, they're funny when they're paid to… More
too stoned review: cant ber bothered typin right now just wasnr funny comedians r boring two days later review: This doc follows the comics it says it does only to reveal something most of us already know -comedians are fucking boring. Yeh, they're funny when they're paid to be, but when they're not on stage, they're not havin orgies and drum circles in the tour bus, they're just getting drunk, farting, and napping like a retirement home with the occasional injection of humor observed when the comedians are working on their act or engaging in comedian talk with one another (analyzing jokes, sets, shit like that). If you are a fan of Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt, or Zack Galifianakis and you want to see their butts, watch this movie. Chubs Posehn and Oswalt strip down to nadda but their bullocks in hand, and cubby Galifianakis is eager to show off his hot rear on the tour bus. Thus ends the highlights of this movie - a weirdo piano playing cock tease is eager to show off his plump buttocks and two insecure bitchy chubs walkin around naked in the woods. And Maria Bamford's set. But you could just watch "The Comedians of Comedy: Live at the El Rey" and just see the standup bits rather than watch this, which has bits from that El Rey gig and a few others, but really only for CoC fans. Might be worthwhile for Galifianakis fans as he is not at the El Rey show, but I don't know his material, so I don't know if anything on here is unique.
James A

A great documentary about real comedians. Brian Posehn's explanation of Star Wars is one of the funniest bits I have ever heard.
Christopher B

A good documentary showing the behind the scenes antics from the Comedians of Comedy tour with Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifanakis, Maria Bamford and Brian Posehn. Nothing groundbreaking, it?s more of a puff piece, but lots of laughs.
Sunil J

Funny for a quick tv watch.
Wu C

Kinda unfunny. I would give this a pass.