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When Comedy Went to School
Directed by
Mevlut Akkaya
,
Ron Frank
Not Rated
2013
83m
Documentary
,
Comedy
6.2
53%
48%
6.5
Add to Watchlist
The birth of modern stand-up comedy began in the Catskill Mountains - a boot camp for the greatest generation of Jewish-American comedians.
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Where to Watch When Comedy Went to School
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Cast of When Comedy Went to School
Mevlut Akkaya
Director
Ron Frank
Director
Lawrence Richards
Screenplay
When Comedy Went to School Ratings & Reviews
RogerEbert.com
Donald Liebenson
One minute it's about the comedians, the next it's about the Catskills guest experience, the next about the Jewish immigrant experience and Jewish theatre, and the next about indefatigable Jewish humor itself.
Washington Post
Stephanie Merry
Will do little to crystallize the convoluted picture of how the Catskills had a lasting impact on comedy.
Chicago Daily Herald
Dann Gire
Where's the joy? Where's the dramatic conflict? Where's the beef? Uh, brisket?
Chicago Reader
J. R. Jones
Shapeless and generic.
San Francisco Chronicle
Walter V. Addiego
If you can overlook [the] unfortunate stuff, and a cornball windup, what's left is fascinating and funny.
Film Geek Central
Austin Kennedy
With its cheap Television production values, Karaoke quality soundtrack, and poorly focused narrative, these legendary comedians definitely deserve something better than this.
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Chris Hewitt
It's not bad, but it will be a better fit when it eventually ends up on PBS or the History Channel.
Blu-ray.com
Brian Orndorf
It's a must-see for comedy fanatics, supplying an education on the foundation of Jewish humor as a defense mechanism for oppression, brought to life on stage by the industry's sharpest minds.
Arts Fuse
Gerald Peary
Oy gevalt!What a disappoinment!
Boston Herald
James Verniere
Shallow but interesting and a lot of fun.
Boston Globe
Mark Feeney
It answers that age-old question: What happens when a can't-miss subject gets missed?
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
For a disorganized film that has trouble deciding what it's about, "When Comedy Went to School" can be a lot of fun.
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Superficial and hokey yet still oddly endearing ...
Variety
Ronnie Scheib
Ron Frank and Melvut Akkaya's documentary suffers from an approach by turns scattershot and schmaltzy.
New York Daily News
Joe Neumaier
The archival footage is rich. The interviews - with Jerry Lewis, Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason, Mort Sahl, Jerry Stiller and others - are saucy and spirited, and the history is terrific.
AV Club
Scott MacDonald
It's the squarest of square love letters, and it plays like one of those bland, slick History Channel specials.
New York Times
Nicole Herrington
Fortunately for the filmmakers, most of the comedians interviewed here - Jerry Stiller, Jackie Mason, Jerry Lewis and many other (mostly male) voices - provide lighthearted remembrances to elevate this poorly executed documentary.
NPR
Ella Taylor
[A] charming but skin-deep documentary ...
Village Voice
Ernest Hardy
This enchanting documentary on the rise, fall, and small-scale rebirth of the Catskills has something of a fairy tale quality.
Slant Magazine
Wes Greene
It confuses nostalgia for earth-shaking cultural upheaval, never really expounding on the actual effect of the Borscht Belt circuit's influence.
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When Comedy Went To School
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