Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

'CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP': Three Stars (Out of Five)Documentary following Conan O'Brien and his six month comedy tour 'The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour', during the time he was banned from appearing on TV by NBC (after his dispute with scheduling). The film appears to be a pretty open and honest examination of all the drama O'Brien was caught up in, showing him often not in the most flattering light. It's funny, due to O'Brien and others usual comedic banter, but at the same time a serious look at that stage in the comedic talk show host's life. It works on some levels and not so much on others due to some mediocre directing and editing in my opinion. It was directed by Rodman Flender, who has a great deal of experience directing television and B horror films (like 'LEPRECHAUN 2'). I think in the hands of another director the film could have been a much more efficient and entertaining documentary.The movie begins by explaining what happened to Conan and his 'TONIGHT SHOW' gig with NBC and how he got banned from performing on TV for six months. It then gives us behind the scenes footage of Conan and his crew coming up with the tour idea, selling it, coming up with material for it and then doing the tour itself. We get several scenes of Conan interacting with his TV crew, primarily his personal assistant, as well as celebrity friends of his (who continue to drop by his show). The movie leads all the way up to the end of the tour and Conan beginning his new late-night talk show at TBS.The movie does seem to be very honest and genuine, with Conan appearing as a bit of a self centered dick throughout. He had just lost his dream job (of hosting 'THE TONIGHT SHOW'), so it is understandable, but still this may throw off a lot of his hardcore fans. His personal assistant seems to get the most of his emotional abuse and the film does a good job of allowing the viewer to relate and sympathize with her (as well as Conan himself) at times. The film does drag a little sometimes as well with the general narrative often feeling slow paced and unenthusiastic. Still the film has plenty of laughs and it does give a good look at that time in the popular comedian's life. It also does a good job of presenting him as just an average guy: not always trying to be funny and often getting frustrated and being mean to those around him as a result. It's not a perfect film but it does serve it's purpose well.Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s7ci6l5gkI

I found this film useful viewing for one reason only: it captures the energy necessary to perform and the momentum that's required to sustain that energy. Had Conan not mounted a stage show, perhaps his need to perform may have itself atrophied. Watching this energy propel Conan is in itself contagious and inspiring.Beyond this achievement, however, there is a lack of any greater investigation into the nature of performance or putting it into a greater context. It exists more or less as a loving video postcard, whose brief tension has been sapped out by the fact that Conan now has his own show back on TBS.This film suffers from a lack of a strong antagonist. It also suffers from not providing any detracting views or opinions on Conan himself. We never get the sense that there will be any real failure here: a high level, well-oiled, show business machine, with a large staff, sells out some 40 odd huge A-level theatres in major markets in a matter of days and then proceeds to play them by flying to and fro in a private Leer jet plane. Not exactly the same tension created by an artist battling for public acclaim in his salad days. Riding a gravy train is not as exciting as walking along the edge of a cliff.As a loving video postcard, it is at times frustrating in it's selection of events. The film chooses to show a lengthy clip of Eddie Veder covering "The Who", yet deprives us of Jim Carrey's impromptu performance with Conan. As a fan of comedy, I would much rather have seen the Jim Carry act than watch Eddie Veder, as awesome as he is, who seems to have nothing to do with Conan. And yet musically, I would have liked to see more of Jack White, since Conan was instrumental in launching his career and genuinely loves his music.There is also not much here on tracing Conan's history. He's not put under the microscope as much as I was led to expect from the promotional campaign. He's basically just doing his thing, being charming and entertaining. As a documentary subject he lacks having a darker side and/or strong opposition.The tour was cathartic for Conan. But the film for the audience lacks surprise and tension. There is no great question explored here, such as "Did Conan hit the road to fill some great void within himself?" Please, that is some serious marketing BS. He's simply a hard workingman who loves his job, his staff, his family and kids and wants to keep working, because he knows not working leads to the death of the performance muscle.An endurance runner wouldn't take six months off if someone told them they couldn't run a prestigious race. They'd keep running in the back woods if they were passionate about running. Mystery solved. Conan is passionate about performing. He needs to keep entertaining audiences if he's going to stay in peak shape. Can't go on TV, well hey then, lets do theatre! The problem with this film is it provides neither tragedy nor comedy. As funny as Conan is, he's not hilarious. He's simply a very sweet funny guy that everyone wishes was his best friend. After all, he's the straight man to every one of his guests, so that they can shine and be funny. So herein lies a film about an entertaining straight man, an MC if you will. Which is fine. It's just irksome that it's pretending to be more than what it really is. You don't go to the show to see the MC, you go to see the featured acts. Conan becomes his own featured act by filling time with his music performances. Something no one would pay money to see under normal circumstances. Now that those "abnormal" circumstances have passed, the exercise of documenting it seems pointless except as a record for those involved, which is exactly what this film is.

To continuously get up in front of a large number of people and try over and over again to make them laugh must take a tremendous amount of self confidence and a healthy ego. In Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, Conan's ego is displayed warts and all. After not accepting a move back to his old midnight time slot when his Tonight Show ratings and Jay Leno's Primetime Show ratings were not producing good numbers, Conan O'Brien abruptly left TV after being a staple on it for years. Contractually, he could not go on TV for another six months; therefore, he created a live variety show and traveled around the country to perform for live audiences.Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is the documentary footage of the show's early ideas, its logistics, and finally its execution and reception. There are musical numbers referencing how he wants to get back on TV, comedic gags about how he left it, and rare direct digs at NBC executives and personally at Jay Leno. Whenever Conan is in the room, the conversation stops and focuses directly on the star. Conan is allowed to punch you and mock you, but you (the staff) are not allowed to project any of that in return, unless your name is Andy Richter. Conan's personal assistant, Sona, endures many of his sour moods and poor Jack McBrayer gets verbally annihilated during a very uncomfortable scene at his expense.The documentary produces some effective one-on-one interview situations with Conan about how angry he was at NBC and concerning his psychological need to be on a television screen. The footage of the variety shows are compelling and the backstage rants about after parties and uninvited guests are open and direct. However, Conan appears contradictory when he complains about the endless interviews, photos, autographs, and hangers-on, but if there aren't any around, he wonders where they are and why aren't they pushing to see him.This documentary is first and foremost about Conan O'Brien's ego and insatiable need to be in front of an audience making them laugh. It works for most of the time but Conan's relentless snark aimed at his staff and others can wear thin after an hour and a half.

Ever since middle school, I have been a huge fan of Conan O'Brien. I would only watch his show on Fridays or over school breaks because if I got caught being up so late, I'd get in trouble. But when he started on The Tonight Show, I stayed up late and watched it anyways no matter the day. So I was watching every night as the battle for The Tonight Show unfolded and, like many, I gave all of my support to him. So after leaving the Tonight Show, he planned a 32-city live tour, which is what the film focuses on.The tour moments are fun, especially the backstage bits. During the Radio City Music Hall show, we see Conan, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert backstage preparing their skit a mere 9 minutes before they go on stage and perform it. We really see the creativity that went into this tour and they pulled it off nicely. There are moments after the shows where he complains about not wanting to meet fans, but he does it anyways. He definitely shows much appreciation for them and all of their support.We get to see a darker side of Conan in the film. At one point, he teases Jack McBrayer, calling him a hick and even making up a song on the spot that's very dark, yet I found myself laughing. Who wouldn't be able to go into a darker place after losing one of the biggest television shows of all time? Honestly the film made me love Conan even more. Even though he does act somewhat mean at times, his amazing team still sticks with him. He has such a wonderful group of people supporting him. There are some really nice moments of him with long time friend and sidekick, Andy Richter. You can really tell that they will always be there for each other. Also I have to give credit to Sona Movsesian, Conan's assistant, who handles him well at some pretty rough times.I think documentaries about entertainers are always great to see. You get to see much more of them than you do on TV or on stage. This is one of the best I've ever seen and I'm not just saying this because I'm a Conan fanatic, but this film is very well made. We get to see moments of Conan that we normally don't get to and it's fascinating to watch. The film gets dark at times, but for the most part, it's hilarious. The film is a must see for Conan fans and it's the year's absolute best film. I don't think there will be a more honest, funny and entertaining film this year. Go Team Coco.