Acclaimed comedy documentary Misery Loves Comedy is to be released in the UK on 21st August. It will have its European Premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 25th June.
The film features more than 50 comedy legends including Tom Hanks, Matthew Perry, Judd Apatow, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Favreau, Lisa Kudrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Coogan, Stephen Merchant, Martin Short and Larry David candidly exploring their motivations and inspirations in this examination of the age old question: do you really have to be miserable to be funny?
Directed by Kevin Pollak, whose acting credits include The Usual Suspects and Casino, the cast digs into their earliest comic experiences, most epic fails and tell unforgettable anecdotes to reveal a performer's deep, and perhaps paradoxical, desire to connect with audiences.
This master class in comedy offers a rare opportunity to hear comedy icons dissect the art of stand-up and explore how a joke can operate as a blunt tool, a social weapon, or even as a personal elixir. It reminds us that the best humour may be derived from misery, but that it's the comedian's particular brand of truth that helps us all understand a little better what it means to be human.
