When Comedy Went to School (2013)
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Reviews Counted: 28
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 12
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 5
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 406
Movie Info
This remarkable documentary presents an entertaining portrait of this country's greatest generation of comedians - the generation that includes the likes of Jerry Lewis, Sid Caesar, Robert Klein, Jackie Mason, Mort Sahl, Jerry Stiller, Larry King, and others, all of whom make appearances in the film, telling jokes and telling their stories. (c) International Film Circuit
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Robert Klein
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All Critics (28) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (16) | Rotten (12)
If you can overlook [the] unfortunate stuff, and a cornball windup, what's left is fascinating and funny.
Top CriticThe film is slight at 77 minutes, and not all that funny.
It answers that age-old question: What happens when a can't-miss subject gets missed?
For a disorganized film that has trouble deciding what it's about, "When Comedy Went to School" can be a lot of fun.
Superficial and hokey yet still oddly endearing ...
Ron Frank and Melvut Akkaya's documentary suffers from an approach by turns scattershot and schmaltzy.
With its cheap Television production values, Karaoke quality soundtrack, and poorly focused narrative, these legendary comedians definitely deserve something better than this.
It's not bad, but it will be a better fit when it eventually ends up on PBS or the History Channel.
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.
Oy gevalt!What a disappoinment!
Shallow but interesting and a lot of fun.
This engaging documentary about Jewish-American comedians pays homage to the Borscht Belt masters of disrespect who brought their tumultuous, irreverent clowning into the American mainstream during the early days of network television.
Too scattered and bereft of focus to connect with viewers outside of the most sympathetic and devoted habitués of old-school comedy.
Sometimes rises above schmaltzy nostalgia to become an informative, entertaining history of the stand-up comic. Worth watching are the personal perspectives of legends.
An alternately informative and hilarious documentary featuring reflections about the roots of the comedy icons who got their start in the Borscht Belt.
A mildly entertaining documentary about the rise of stand-up Jewish comedians and their boot camp in the Catskills.
The brilliant Robert Klein narrates with knowing affection, but despite the wonderful archival footage and painstaking assemblage of these surviving showbiz dinosaurs, the film isn't quite the rich, humorous feast one would have hoped for.
It's the squarest of square love letters, and it plays like one of those bland, slick History Channel specials.
Works equally as social history as a survey of standup comedians of the Borscht Belt. Will be enjoyed by everybody but particularly by those who spent time in the Catskills.
Audience Reviews for When Comedy Went to School
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