You may not know the name (for shame), but you’ll certainly know the voice. From his famed standup routines, to roles on screen in Problem Child, Beverly Hills Cop 2, a stint as the Aflac duck (more on that later), and his recent deployment by John Oliver brilliantly voicing Jared Kushner. To many, Gilbert Gottfried is cherished for his work as Iago in Disney’s Aladdin. His is a career built over decades, founded on his particular delivery of material, affecting an abrasive tone to deliver his (often R-rated) routines. The question many will ask going in to Gilbert is what lies beneath that character he unleashes on stage, the truth is perhaps more surprising to Gilbert than it is to any viewer.
Written, produced, and directed by Neil Berkeley, Gilbert draws from interviews with friends, family, and his peers from the comedy circuit, home video footage, as well as scenes captured following the comedian on the road and at home over the course of several months. The result is a is a surprisingly touching and insightful glimpse into the life and career of Gottfried. From archival footage we see how Gottfried made a name for himself, with standup sets and guest spots on talks shows, feature films, and his current effort “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!” Comedians such as Jim Gaffigan, Jay Leno, Artie Lange, and Susie Essman discuss his particular style and approach. Controversy is perhaps the hallmark of any truly successful comedian, so rightly the film touches on some of the more infamous points of his career, notably the Comedy Central Roast in the aftermath of 9/11, where a joke about the incident led to Gottfried devising an unusual way out: digging himself deeper by telling a particularly notorious joke shared mostly between comedians, an action that led to another documentary back in 2005, The Aristocrats. Gilbert also addresses the more recent Japanese Tsunami tweet controversy that led to his firing as the spokesperson for Aflac, with some touching insights from his wife as to the personal side of the tale. Despite these setbacks, Gottfried continues to tour, and the film shows plenty of glimpses of his act, as well as quick wit. We see him at comedy clubs, cruise ships, and an event at a convention center where a meeting of military enthusiasts in Nazi garb provides some of the more surreal and hilarious moments of the film. On the flip side, you get to see the grind of the business: the travel, the long solitary waits backstage, and the endless hotels. That last one offers an insight into a particularly thrifty aspect of Gilbert’s nature, taking snacks and complementary items from his trips which are sweetly stored by his wife under their bed at home. It’s a solitary life, a drudge, but one that clearly sustains him and his desire to take the mic and perform.
Gilbert not only charts what it takes to be a comedian, but what perhaps what leads to the making of one. It delves into Gottfried’s past – his close relationship with his mother, more fractious one with his father, and strong bond with his sisters. Home videos show he was ever the comedian, filling the void created by his emotional distance. That acerbic brand of humor is part of his marriage too, every Valentine’s card to his wife Dara bearing the inscription “fuck you.” It’s one quirk in their relationship that has spanned over 20 years, 10 of them married. Their union is undoubtedly an odd but perfect match. Now at the age of 62 he has two adorable children with her. It’s a state of normalcy and adulthood at odds with the life he leads, and the one he imagined for himself. It’s a sentiment that probably lingers at the recesses of the mind of every adult, but is exacerbated by Gottfried’s career and emotional state. It’s an endearing frankness on the part of the comedian, an attitude that permeates the film as a whole in a truly disarming manner.
There is a skill to a documenting a celebrity, not merely adding to or milking that status, but instead humanizing the subject. The key is providing insight, entertainment, and above all authenticity. Berkeley’s film manages each of those things in spades. Gilbert speaks to up and coming comedians, to parents, to people who consider themselves an ill fit for societal conventions; indeed the film has aspects that speak to all of us. It’s a frank, sweet, and amusing effort that pulls back the veil on a very curious character.
