No institution can dodge Louis C.K.’s comedic legacy and sexual allegations, TIFF included, where he appeared immediately pre-#MeToo with his film I Love You, Daddy. I squirmed slightly recalling C.K.’s appearance at the festival as I watched Cara Mones and Caroline Suh unpacking the case, his survivors, and his humor in Sorry/Not Sorry. The documentary follows entertainment journalists re-contextualizing the controversial comedian’s achievements in the present, along with testimonies from his assault survivors (and talented comedians in their own right) Jen Kirkman, Abby Schnacher, and Megan Koester.
The documentary’s talking-head and archival-footage aesthetic allows for a long runway to observe ethical conundrums in entertainment. Is it okay to be offensive under the guise of comedy? How much truth should be involved in a joke? And how much does that matter? If art is subjective, can the professional remain separate from the personal? While Sorry/Not Sorry proposes intriguing,...
The documentary’s talking-head and archival-footage aesthetic allows for a long runway to observe ethical conundrums in entertainment. Is it okay to be offensive under the guise of comedy? How much truth should be involved in a joke? And how much does that matter? If art is subjective, can the professional remain separate from the personal? While Sorry/Not Sorry proposes intriguing,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Edward Frumkin
- The Film Stage
At some point in our culture, we began to see male comedians as philosophers. Invoking the legacies of George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks, comedy fans have labeled funny men as paternalistic truth tellers that we all must revere. Never mind the fact that these men are no longer alive and thus have no opportunity to challenge the way their work has been framed and which living comics they are compared to.
Louis C.K. is one such comedian who has often been spoken of in the same breath as these men, despite lacking the often political edge of their work. C.K. and comics like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are the confirmed gold standard of comedy, standing at the top of the mountain looking down at the rest of us. There’s no denying their talent and insight, but they are very much still human, despite the prevailing...
Louis C.K. is one such comedian who has often been spoken of in the same breath as these men, despite lacking the often political edge of their work. C.K. and comics like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are the confirmed gold standard of comedy, standing at the top of the mountain looking down at the rest of us. There’s no denying their talent and insight, but they are very much still human, despite the prevailing...
- 9/11/2023
- by Jourdain Searles
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 2017, like a lot of Louis C.K. fans, filmmaker Caroline Suh wasn’t sure what to make of the allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian that were detailed in a New York Times story. The report included female comics’ accounts of C.K. exposing himself to them, which he admitted to, and led FX, Netflix and C.K.’s management company, 3Arts, to drop him.
“I watched his show religiously,” Suh says. “And when the article came out, I was surprised and honestly thought, ‘Is it really that bad that he should be banished from the scene?’ I didn’t really know how to think about it.”
Nearly six years later, now that C.K. has sold out Madison Square Garden and won two Grammys for his comedy albums, Suh and her co-director, Cara Mones, interrogate questions about sex and power raised by the comic’s downfall and comeback in their new documentary,...
“I watched his show religiously,” Suh says. “And when the article came out, I was surprised and honestly thought, ‘Is it really that bad that he should be banished from the scene?’ I didn’t really know how to think about it.”
Nearly six years later, now that C.K. has sold out Madison Square Garden and won two Grammys for his comedy albums, Suh and her co-director, Cara Mones, interrogate questions about sex and power raised by the comic’s downfall and comeback in their new documentary,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new comedy podcast about feminism from the minds and mouths of Merrill Markoe and Megan Koester is coming to Audible, Variety has learned exclusively. Available for preorder on Aug. 14, the audio series, titled “The Indignities of Being a Woman” will launch on the site Sept 18.
In the Audible Original, Markoe and Koester will discuss various feminist issues — past and present — from a humorous perspective. The pair will touch on both historical and present day occurrences that color women’s experiences, while drawing on their own personal experiences as two comedians from different generations.
Both Markoe and Koester have had active careers in comedy. Markoe made a name for herself in the 1980s as head writer for NBC’s “Late Night with David Letterman,” in addition to hosting radio shows, doing standup, and reporting on-camera for Los Angeles news stations. Her past TV writing credits have earned her a total of three primetime Emmys.
In the Audible Original, Markoe and Koester will discuss various feminist issues — past and present — from a humorous perspective. The pair will touch on both historical and present day occurrences that color women’s experiences, while drawing on their own personal experiences as two comedians from different generations.
Both Markoe and Koester have had active careers in comedy. Markoe made a name for herself in the 1980s as head writer for NBC’s “Late Night with David Letterman,” in addition to hosting radio shows, doing standup, and reporting on-camera for Los Angeles news stations. Her past TV writing credits have earned her a total of three primetime Emmys.
- 8/14/2018
- by Christi Carras
- Variety Film + TV
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