If You Don't Watch The Trailer For This Steve Martin Documentary, I'll Fight You
Steve Martin is a comedy legend, plain and simple. And he deserves your attention. Long before he became the star of beloved family comedies like "Parenthood" and "Father of the Bride," he was a massive stand-up comedian, selling out shows, firing off hilarious albums, and cracking up the likes of Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show." He even made such big waves at "Saturday Night Live" that many people mistakenly believe he was once a full-fledged cast member. It's the kind of career open mic comics dream about. Now we're going to find out how Steve Martin made it happen.
Apple TV+ is releasing a two-part documentary from A24 and Tremolo Productions called "STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces." What's particularly interesting about this two-part approach is that it will take a look at Steve Martin's life and career from two different perspectives.
In the first part, titled "Then," we'll dive into Martin's early career, which includes a stint as a magician at Disneyland and his rise to stardom as one of the most revolutionary stand-up comics the stage has ever seen, before choosing to wrap it up at age 35 and launching into a feature film career that sparked with the comedy classic "The Jerk" (a movie that Martin himself saved with one brilliant line). Meanwhile, the second part, called "Now," brings us to the present-day life of Steve Martin, where he's playing banjo, riding bikes with Martin Short, and "retracing the transformation that led to happiness in his art and personal life."
Born standing up
Director Morgan Neville is behind the Steve Martin documentary, having previously provided wonderful insight into Fred Rogers and the seminal children's program "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" with his documentary "Won't You Be My Neighbor." Honestly, Steve Martin kinda feels like the Mr. Rogers of comedy, so Neville feels like the perfect person to tackle this project.
As you can see in the trailer, the documentary also features talking heads from some fairly prominent pop culture figures. Fellow stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld sings the praises of Steve Martin, while "Baby Mama" co-star Tina Fey talks about the characters he's played over the years. Personally, I'm very excited to see Martin Short's part in all of this. Having known Martin for years, surely he'll have both the nicest and funniest things to say about the legendary comic. Other notable names include "Father of the Bride" co-star Diane Keaton and "Only Murders in the Building" co-star Selena Gomez.
But beyond the usual star-centric retrospective commentary, this also looks like an intimate glimpse into the life of Martin, who struggled with a lot of anxiety when he was younger. It's only hinted at in the trailer among the usual touchstones of Martin's career, but it promises to be much more than a glossy glimpse at the career many are familiar with. For anyone who has read Martin's biography "Born Standing Up," you know that his rise to fame is an interesting story, though one that is filled with plenty of personal hurdles. I'm sure this documentary will dig into those fascinating facets of his life.
"STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces" will hit Apple TV+ on March 29, 2024.