Netflix Documentary Probes Martin Short's Polarizing Comedy as 80% of His Work Flopped
Updated
Updated · Slate · May 12
Netflix Documentary Probes Martin Short's Polarizing Comedy as 80% of His Work Flopped
3 articles · Updated · Slate · May 12
Summary
Netflix’s “Marty, Life Is Short,” which began streaming Tuesday, frames Martin Short’s mid-70s career peak as a test of why a comedian many find grating remains deeply beloved in Hollywood.
80% of his work, Short says, has been commercial failure, but the film argues that his outsized, character-driven style endures because he embraces big swings and makes bizarre creations feel real.
Ontario childhood losses — his brother died when Short was 12, and both parents were gone by 20 — are presented as the source of his “life is short” philosophy and relentless comic energy.
Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara anchor a documentary by Lawrence Kasdan that uses home movies and fourth-wall breaks to portray Short as driven less by relevance than by joy.
The film arrives as Short enjoys renewed success from Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” and sold-out live shows, even as critics still attack the manic intensity that has long divided audiences.