Solidrariol
Am I Missing Something?
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
johnmichael-2
"Are women funny?" Bonnie McFarland asksThe answer is simple: YES. Of course.Wanda Sykes, Lisa Lampanelli, Whitney Cummings, Natasha Leggiero, Amy Schumer, Marina Franklin, Rachel Feinstein, Nikki Glaser, Sarah Silverman... and that's just standup. Then there's Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Jane Lynch, Ellen Degeneres, Mindy Kaling, and a bunch of others that will come to me when I'm not actually writing this off the top of my head. That's not to even mention the greats like Joan Rivers, Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore, all the Golden Girls (Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan), and others I'm too young to remember.I wish this documentary had been about showing us funny women, instead of 80 minutes of existential crises. Even better would have been if this documentary had exposed me to some female comedians who I hadn't known before. Awkwardly enough, a lot of the women I mentioned above actually showed up for one- or two-minute cameos, but not nearly long enough to showcase their incredible talent.The hardest thing is that, in the end, this expose-of-sorts didn't even bolster its own cause. It was unfocused, unfunny, and her husband Rich Vos was awkwardly omnipresent. There's already too many men in this documentary as it is.
grouchyeditor
If you are reading these reviews, I'd advise skipping some of the hate-filled one- and two-star reviews on this page. These "critics" seem more interested in venting their feelings of rage toward women in general, and MacFarlane in particular, than in any type of fair evaluation of the film. I watched the movie last night. My thoughts: 1. I liked it. Bonnie and Rich are an engaging couple in a rather unique relationship, and it was interesting to follow their behind-the-scenes lifestyle.2. Some of the haters on this page complain that the movie failed to reach its "potential," that it could have examined the history of women in comedy, perhaps from vaudeville to the present. This is an absurd criticism. The movie never claimed to be an educational, exhaustive study of American humor. Instead, it's an amusing peek behind the scenes of a typical comic's life which manages, along the way, to raise some provocative questions about women in comedy and society's reaction to them.3. I do not know Bonnie or Rich, and I was not paid to write this review.4. I'm not hailing this documentary as great cinema. But it is an amusing way to spend an hour and a half.5. There are quite a few funny interviews/cameos from the country's top comics. Kathy Griffin is missing? The horror! The horror! 6. It's hard to diss a movie that (at seven minutes and 20 seconds) gives us a great, if brief, shot of Bonnie's bare butt. I am thinking of posting a screen capture of said butt on my site, grouchyeditor.com.7. Finally, are women funny? Some are, some aren't. Society encourages men to be funny, so more of them are, and discourages women who are funny, so less of them are.
Jon Combs
If you're going to make a movie about how people perceive that woman aren't funny... at least make it funny. There are lots of funny women in comedy, McFarlene isn't one of them, even though she got lots of funny women in the movie, to which she never took to her advantage. I'm still lost, as a fan of comedy this was still the worst documentary I have seen on Netflix. The only reason for positive reviews is seeing lots of comics people know.Hail the likes of Joan, Wanda, Silverman, Amy Etc....but this is is pile of trash, and pretty sure I could take a camera out on a Friday night and film funnier stuff than this in a matter of hours.
Neil-238-599054
It's a shame Ms. Mcfarlane chose to half-a** it. The myth of unfunny women could have been interesting. But she didn't explore the history of women in comedy or perhaps the psychological reasoning why women don't prefer women comics. You could have had a few panel discussions. And more Rich Vos is never the answer. And no Kathy Griffin? Odd.She lacked confidence through the film and made it way more personal than it needed to be. And if she wanted to go that route why not talk about how she broke in and what her family/friends thought about it. And were they barriers? It's also strange that four of the five writers for the movie are men. Can't help a sister out? But the interviews are still fun and worth a few laughs