The Primary Instinct is a “concert film”, featuring some thoughts from character actor Stephen Tobolowsky both before and after a live-taped presentation of one of his talks. As such, it is a challenging film to review in that, not only is it not a narrative, it isn’t quite a documentary either. It’s experiential cinema, which I found to be more engaging than a typical concert film or stand up comedy special, but which nevertheless must be experienced to really get a sense of it.
Perhaps The Primary Instinct is so fascinating precisely because of its format, however. If one can utilize the word “sermon” without evoking the negative connotations some might associate with the term whether due to boredom or feelings of alienation from the church; The Primary Instinct plays out like a wonderful sermon designed not to provide answers, but rather to explore life’s mysteries. It’s revealed in the telling of the tale that Tobolowsky is himself of the Jewish tradition, and that he has studied the Talmud, as well as the storytelling expertise of the Rabbis who have communicated the Talmud for generations. This isn’t a particularly religious film, but comparisons to a wonderful sermon simply couldn’t be avoided by this church-raised reviewer. Perhaps the most fundamental difference is the focus on questions versus answers found in The Primary Instinct.
Tobolowsky proves himself to be a master storyteller, something he has perhaps already done on countless occasions for listeners to The Tobolowsky Files podcast, or those lucky enough to have seen him speak live in person. This film was my introduction to his communicative gifts outside of his many roles as one of the great character actors of our generation (Groundhog Day, Memento, and Mississippi Burning come to mind as some of his most memorable films among the 200 screen credits he has amassed). Tobolowsky Files host David Chen serves as director on this film, and Chen was my own entree into The Primary Instinct as the host of my favorite film podcast, The Slashfilm Cast.
The film is commendable for capturing the many pearls of wisdom dropped by Tobolowsky in its brief 73 minute runtime, and being oddly familiar with Chen’s day to day life as a fan of his podcast, it is also fascinating to see a valuable feature film completed by a man who otherwise worked a full time day job and is actively hosting a hugely popular podcast as well. This isn’t to say that the direction is outstanding or the film a must see. But knowing the ins and outs of the film’s creation, at least from a distance, did make watching the film perhaps more satisfying. Though it should be noted that my wife was quite engaged by Tobolowsky’s storytelling and brought none of the baggage I brought when watching it.
In depth discussion of the content found within The Primary Instinct, the meat of the film, is a moot point. It is Tobolowsky’s delivery of the tales, his interweaving of personal anecdotes, jokes, and moments of touching profundity, which provide the core value of experiencing the film. And no recap in a film review could ever do it justice. But needless to say, story after story is told, they interconnect, twist on a dime, and never leave your mind wandering. As Tobolowsky digs and digs at the “whys” of life and at the primal urge we have to transcend our brief time on this earth, he does so in a hugely entertaining way. A worse critic might say “you’ll laugh, you’ll cry”, and I just did… so maybe I need a few more pointers from Tobolowsky on how to sell a great story and close it out with a bang.
The Package
At a brisk 73 minutes, and a concert film no less, one might expect that there wouldn’t be much in the way of bonus content. However, Kino Lorber and FilmBuff have included some bonus content here in their DVD release, and it’s fairly excellent stuff. There’s a featurette called “The Light Of The First Day” which is more or less another complete story told by Tobolowsky that didn’t quite fit into the talk he gives in the body of the film, but is equally as profound if not potential more so. There’s also some different visual approaches and more abstract delivery attempts featured in some additional interview footage which give a little insight into the development of the film and how it could have looked had some other directions been taken. With Tobolowsky on screen throughout these bonus features, they really do feel like true “bonuses”. A little more time spent with a man you wouldn’t mind sitting around a fire listening to for hours on end.
The Primary Instinct is actually the type of film one might want to circle back around on after a few years to get wound back up into Tobolowsky’s tales. But it isn’t a hugely cinematic venture, so catching it on a streaming service or a rental would likely be a great way to experience it for most viewers. I’m happy to have the disc primarily for the deleted story, and as a great opportunity to support Chen in some small way through this coverage. Whether one puts up the money to buy the DVD, or rents it for a one-time viewing, either way it’s a good sit.
And I’m Out.
The Primary Instinct hits DVD March 30th, 2016 from Kino Lorber.
Originally published at old.cinapse.co on March 29, 2016.