Dying to do Letterman (2011)

Original title

Dying to Do Letterman

Directed by

Biagio Messina, Joke Fincioen

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 15m

Rating

6.0 of 10 from 1 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A stand up comedian with a terminal cancer diagnosis pursues his lifelong goal of performing on the Late Show with David Letterman. The film follows his efforts to book the gig and the impact his dream has on those around him.

inspiringtenderbittersweetdeterminedhumorouspersonalreflective

What happens

Dying to do Letterman is a 2011 documentary film, directed by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina, and produced under their Joke Productions banner. The documentary follows the journey of Steve Mazan, a stand up comedian with the lifelong dream of performing a comedy routine on the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Mazan's quest takes a turn when he is diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer, and informed he may only have five years to live. The film follows his decision to spend what time he has left chasing his dream to perform on Letterman's stage. Dying to Do Letterman also looks at the historic impact David Letterman had on the comedy world. Notable appearances in the documentary include Ray Romano, Kevin Nealon, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan, Arj Barker, Will Durst and Robert Schimmel. Mazan acted as narrator for the film, speaking directly into camera from behind a large microphone on an empty comedy stage. The film won numerous audience and grand jury awards on the film festival circuit, and was invited by the International Documentary Association to qualify for Academy Award consideration through the 2011 DocuWeeks program. The film's Kickstarter for an Oscar crowdfunding campaign also received press attention, as reported by Indiewire, who noted the Kickstarter project for Dying to Do Letterman raised $20,000 in just two days. After a theatrical release through the 2011 DocuWeeks program, Dying to Do Letterman was acquired for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories. Of the film's premise, The Chicago Daily Herald said, "There's nothing like a little incurable cancer to kick-start someone's attempt to fulfill a lifelong dream." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)
• Leave Them Laughing (2010)
• The Comedy Garage (2011)
• But... Seriously (1994)
• 50/50 (2011)
• Cracked Up (2018)
• I Am Comic (2010)
• Sleepwalk with Me (2012)