Judd Apatow seems to have a monopoly on documentaries about comedians. He has also been very busy this year, helming three docs, including the previously released Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, and producing more (I keep thinking he was also involved in others that he has one degree of separation from, like Who Is Martin Mull?). Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald might be my favorite. It’s certainly his most unique, avoiding the usual talking heads spouting pleasantries and going instead with an entirely archival format with some desktop documentary elements thrown in here and there. It’s a celebration of Norm Macdonald as he was — at least, as far as what he showed himself to be in front of an audience — not just how he’s remembered.
The fascinating thing is that Macdonald wasn’t the most consistent or truthful person publicly, whether in his stand-up routines, his writing, his talk shows, or even in interviews. That could be true with most comedians, who tend to embellish or make up stories for bits and routines, but Macdonald never seemed to offer a separate identity from his stand-up role. This makes it a wonderful companion piece to You Can See Everything as another new documentary about a person who is impossible to believe and know completely. Apatow uses a device through which the film becomes an investigation into the myth and reality of Norm Macdonald, but it’s the kind of inquiry that just uses internet searches to address the questions and often gets nowhere in terms of answers. Did he go to college? Was he ever married? Was he gay?
Sadly, like Macdonald, some of the people closest to him who might have been able to share more personal knowledge of the real person behind the comedic performer persona, like Larry King and Bob Saget, have also passed away in recent years. Not that I necessarily would want to know anything he wasn’t interested in sharing publicly in life. Still, the mystery of the man and that unknowable aspect to him as a subject makes for a fun documentary, even when a lot of it becomes a clip show of hilarious bits. Apatow pieces those clips together to paint a picture of the persona as best as he can, intentionally showing the cracks where the pieces don’t fit perfectly while also highlighting moments of genuine expression that existed alongside all the dubious, exaggerated, or otherwise indeterminate statements he made.