I live, breath, eat and sleep comedy.  Movies about comedy speak to me.  From the flawed Punchline to a classic like Annie Hall, I love movies about comedians.  The best movie to capture the essence of comedy in a small town doing a one nighter has got to be The Godfather of Green Bay.  But my all time favorite is Funny People.  People knocked it, but I love it.  My nightmare is that I’ll end up friendless like Adam Sandler’s character.  I try really hard to be nice to everyone, but I know sometimes I piss off my friends and that makes me feel terrible.  I need my them.  Anyway, I asked my peers what their favorite movie about comedy is.  Check it out:

Brad Austin: Comedian. (Mike note: An essential documentary for every comedian to watch.)

The third chair…the great Pat Francis: Mr. Saturday Night.

Kristy Rock: When Stand Up Stood Out.

Lauren Uchalik: I Am Comic

Darnell Anderson: Comedian

Ky Miller: My favorite movie about comedy would be Steve Byrne’s thirteen or bust. Steve Byrne’s documentary focuses on what it takes to work in the city of NY. Cameras follow him as he attempts and succeeds at doing thirteen sets within one night at various clubs and venues. From running down the street to taking his coat off as he walks through the kitchen and the emcee is already spouting his introduction. From venues where no one connects and a bombing is evident, to sold out shows full of rowdy tourists that heckle him. I feel it’s a true representation of the craft and what it takes to be a real professional within the city.

Mark Ridley: The King of Comedy.

Jeff Ford: My favorite movie about comedy is punchline with Tom Hanks and Sally Field.

Ted Alexandro:  My favorite movie about comedy is Seinfeld’s “Comedian.”

Paul Gilmartin:  I liked Mr. Saturday Night. I liked Funny People. HATED Punchline. Probably the best one is Broadway Danny Rose. (Mike note: I need to see Broadway Danny Rose!)

Ricarlo Flannigan: I am Comic (The only one I remember)

Digg Johnson: I am Comic

Jeff Conolly:  Late Shift, that hokey TV movie with Cathy Bates about the Leno/Letterman debacle. It’s a horrible movie in a lot of ways, but it has some sort of charm about it at the same time. It feels almost like a school play that’s horrible but you leave going “Wow, they really tried.” (Mikey Note: Name drop opportunity…my friend Daniel Roebuck played Jay Leno in this.)

PJ Jacokes: Comedian

Garri Madera: When Stand Up Stood Out

Mike Brody: The King of Comedy

Erik Kitter:  I can’t say I have seen many movies about comedy but my favorite would easily be Comedian starring Jerry Seinfeld. I feel like it showed you a little behind the scenes of the life of comedy.

Mike O’Keefe: The Godfather of Green Bay.  Solid laughs and it’s got a ton of heart.  Thomas Lennon’s character is perfect.  And how about Jimmy Pardo in a speedo?

Germaine: Favorite comedy movie: Punchline with Sally Field and Tom Hanks.  I can’t think of any other movie that shows the world of standup comedy through the eyes of a female who is married and a mom and all she has to deal with just to get on that stage.  My only gripe with this movie is that they have the main character played by Sally Field buy jokes, hack jokes.  I would never do that.

Mikey Mason: So far, it’s I Am Comic, a documentary by Jordan Brady about Ritch Shydner’s return to comedy. It also has a ton of snippets of interviews with other comics about the business.

Allyson Hood: Not sure if documentaries count, but I loved the Comedians of Comedy original documentary. It was part of the reason I wanted to get into comedy. It was a look at stand up comedy and comedians I’d never seen before. It focused on the relationships they had with each other, on their process, and the sense of community between them that develops. One of my favorite parts of the movie is where Maria Bamford literally comes up with her “anxiety song” off the top of her head and is singing it into an answering service for her fans. The camera crew can only hear her audio and rushes to find her singing into her phone outside a rest area bathroom. She sees them and they ask her if she’s written that and she tells them no, she just made it up then. It’s literally the birth of a hilarious bit. I love watching it.

Sal Demilio: Funny People or Mr. Saturday Night.

Bob Phillips:  There aren’t any good movies about comedy. But Mr. Saturday Night comes closest.

Julie Lyons: I think my favorite movie about comedy is “Mr. Saturday Night”.   I just remember he wasn’t the nicest guy, but it’s all he wanted and all he knew.   He and his brother entertained family as children.   He persevered.

Bill Bushart: Punchline is my favorite stand-up comedy movie. It’s terrible. The worst. The comedians had a locker room. Tom Hanks and his stupid “stylist” routine. Sally Fields does 5 open mics and get on The Tonight Show.

Steve Lind: About comedy… how many are there? I saw Funny People and didn’t especially like it. Don’t think I’ve seen any others.

Stu McCallister: Favorite movie about standup?  Comedian was good.  The Bill Hicks Documentary American was good.  But out of all of them I would have to say Schindler’s List was the best.  It was a good portrayal of an open mic.