Adventures In Comedy

Most comedy documentaries focus on the rare headliners who pack arenas, but Tom McCaffrey built a project around the unglamorous reality of the working middle tier. Approaching forty after nearly two decades in New York’s alternative comedy circuit, McCaffrey framed the film as a stand-up variation on Spinal Tap, splitting the runtime between staged career humiliation and actual backstage interviews. In the scripted storyline, he plays an exasperated version of himself attempting to record a comeback album while contending with apartment shows and a manager who insists his frozen career is so cold it is hot. Those fictional misadventures alternate with candid conversations from peers like Jim Gaffigan, who describes the stubborn drive that keeps comedians hitting small clubs regardless of television success, and Janeane Garofalo, who talks openly about the quiet fallout of aging out of Hollywood favor. Released by Comedy Dynamics in February 2015 alongside a live companion album, the hybrid project earned praise from outlets like Exclaim for its honest depiction of the trade’s everyday grind.