Documentary biographies can be boring things, stock footage, celebrity interviews, touching moments of breakthrough emotion, all culminating in a sickly sweet ending. This feature, about the life and roller-coaster career of one of Britain's most prolific comedians Eddie Izzard, features all of the above... And it's beautiful.
We start of with a smidgen of the news coverage Izzard's alleged "fraud" (or more accurately, a working comedian using the same material at more then one gig... like ALL stand up comedians).A "blown out of proportions" story over hyped by the media (not to far removed from the Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross "Sachsgate" scandal) no doubt a slow news week then. We then set off into a very real, and brutally honest tale of this Yemen born Brit's tale to the top, stopping by en route to street performing in Covent Gardens, dabbling in the Edinburgh Fringe and missing out on a Perrier award to the pesky Cambridge Footlights (with talentless newcomers at the time Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson, but what have they ever made for themselves?). All leading up to his "comeback" 2003 tour "SEXIE" and Wembley 4 night finale, but not before exploring the ins and outs, the people he met and reasons for making the decisions he did.
The tale does get boring at times but only where life naturally does, the overall emotional curve was well handled, with story and the person BEHIND the stockings and suspenders being paramount. He is shown for the hard working, funny and real human being that he is, with this piece only further enforcing his sure-fire route to becoming a national treasure.
This was a special screening and the DVD is out Monday (22nd November) Definitely worth a watch if you think the road to comedy success will be easy, grounding and touching stuff, almost like a long version of BBC's "Comedy Connections" but with more spirit. 8/10
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