Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

I love this movie so much

So much average

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The documentary doesn't aim to glorify the popular late night host, but it does show the feelings of a common man within the celebrity.There are times, where he is so vulnerable and angry, out of fatigue or just annoyed by someone else's slacking.The best part for me was that it focuses mainly on the backstage moments disconnected from the audience. It gives the insight into the hardwork and stress which goes into the comic buffoonery on stage.You can feel that he is a grateful person but at the same time, insensitivity pisses him off towards the same people. He wishes to acknowledge everyone but his fatigue and stress takes over at times. He just wants peace and solace at times instead of the love from fans and friends. One can easily relate to his feelings and emotions even though circumstances are as different as they can get.The documentary displays how the man never stops working. His relentless hard work is inspiring at times.In all, a brilliant insight into the common man within the celebrity.

Today's review is for Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, Rodman Flender's chronological documentation of late night talk show host Conan O'Brien. The film explains his controversial, and highly publicized departure from NBC in 2009, and then leads into him hitting the road, and staging a comedy tour called the "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour".Conan O'Brien is a witty, fast paced comic. We're all too familiar with his comical side, but I doubt we've ever seen anything from him in the vein of this movie. What we see of Conan is raw and unfiltered. The comedic side has a certain levity to it, but there's also a balance with dramatic heft, and trying to show us what he's going through. We see a man who loves doing what he does, and how he does it just as much for himself as he does for his audience. Sure, there's a couple moments of pure cringe rather than laughs, but this is a serious recommendation.*** out of ****

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop falls short of calling itself a movie. The man is brilliantly hilarious, but as a documentary film it fails miserably to deliver the intended message that he so eloquently stated to the camera: that no one has any idea what the true side of him is like, and that this documentary aims to develop the true Conan.We follow a moody man who can best be described as "post-Conan." His crazy sense of humor still remains, but a dark sided, profanity wielding, beard wearing man now inhabits the body of a once innocent, clean shaved, late night talk show host. He takes us behind the stage of his tour across the country, invites us to listen to his music, and shows us the deep connection he has with his fans. This can all be understood in the first few minutes of the movie, and what follows is a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle.This excuse for a documentary is made for die hard fans who are willing to put up with a cynical man in the midst of his catharsis in order to get laughs from his degrading wise cracks. I cannot help but empathize with the idea of the comedian who night in and night out purges himself with a smile plastered on his face that no one can see through. It is clear that what we know of Conan is just the tip of the iceberg, and underneath the surface lurks a wounded monster.

Conan O' Brien Can't stop is a really funny documentary that invites you on tour with Conan, Andy Richter, the Band and all of his staff during his 44 show "Legally Prohibited from being on TV Tour". It's incredibly engaging and a movie that has it all. This film has everything thing. It is a comedy with great jokes created right before your eyes, a behind the scenes inside Hollywood piece and an emotional in depth look at a popular TV icon we're all used to making us laugh.I was very excited when I found out that this documentary was being made. I was one of a few thousand lucky fans that got to go to his show when he came to Minneapolis and enjoyed his show more than most that I see! It was a fast paced blend of music and comedy, sketches and video clips that fulfilled everything I was hoping for and much more.The documentary begins with some reflection from the former Tonight Show Host of 7 months while driving down the freeway in Los Angeles. His new home after relocating from New York for the short lived run on the #1 late night show. He mentions as he is thinking out loud to the director and camera that he "can't just stop" he doesn't even know what that means.He also says that he has always felt more comfortable with an audience.I think that is the sentiment that I found throughout the movie to ring most true. He was lost after they took his show away and banned him from TV, Radio and the Internet. He could not have an audience come and watch him. He had no idea what to do, he needed an audience, so he decided that he would go to the audience. He put together a team of writers and producers and they decided to write a touring show.The movie is an incredible in depth look at the project from the ground up. A really interesting scene came when they "leaked" the word on the internet that tickets were on sale for some select cities. Thousands of tickets sold immediately, whole cities were sold out in minutes. They finally realized the monster they created and realized they better write a great show fast! The film shows you the creative process that Conan and the writers went through in the beginning meetings trying to figure out what the show would be. This is another area where I felt that Conan was always most comfortable when surrounded by an audience, because even in the meetings with his staff, there is no doubt who the leading character always is. These scenes and most throughout are always hilarious.As the film and tour go on, we see the grind of a tour really breaking Conan down in certain scenes and cities. He grows frustrated because he is being spread so thin...so many meet and greets, so many photos and autograph sessions. There are spots when it really frustrates him and I am glad that he allowed those scenes to be put in the movie because they do show a darker side of him that most of us haven't seen, and some probably don't like. I personally thought that he always handled himself and the frustrating moments with professionalism, and no matter how hard it was to turn up that charm, he always found it and shined. Even if it was a situation where he would slam the door after signing 200 autographs after a show and muttered an expletive under his breath, he certainly was better behaved than the majority of celebrities throughout the years.I believe it's because he knows, he always needs an audience. If he is rude, doesn't go out and sign that autograph or take that picture, he knows they may not come back.Conan O' Brian Can't Stop is a very bold project for Conan and is a great view inside of him and his tour that he made for his fans. It is engaging, usually hilarious, and I definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of his, a fan of music, a fan of late night talk shows, Hollywood, or anyone that enjoys a great documentary.Large Popcorn!