Review: Joe Rogan says, and I paraphrase, “All comedians are broken in some way.” There needs to be something really wrong with someone to need the attention of thousands of strangers by making them laugh. There is definitely something wrong with Conan. By extension of his television problem, he has been broken into even more pieces. Conan just can’t stop. If there are fans to be met, he’ll meet them. If there is an audience to be entertained, he’ll entertain them. And with a turn of a switch the quirky animated stage persona becomes a knot of stress and psychological problems.The documentary style can only be described one way: RAW! The filmmaker’s ability to capture the chaos is impeccable. The kinetic camera work and quick editing puts the viewer in the middle of the madness. Without this whirlwind, we would never really feel what Conan was going through.

The shows that Conan actually put on seem tremendously entertaining, but the documentary is surprisingly short on laughs. Not that it isn’t funny, it is simply just not a comedy. It is about Conan, who he is and where he comes from and why he does what he does. It is incredibly eye opening. It is not only interesting to watch Conan’s fight for sanity and meaning, but I was seriously moved. Here is a man who knows what he wants. I have never met an adult who knew exactly what they wanted to do and is doing at the same time. Some may look to Rockefeller, but Conan O’Brien epitomizes the American Dream.

NINE out of TEN

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