Why I Liked... Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

(Dir. Rodman Flender Starring: Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter)

CoCo! CoCo! CoCo!

Conan O’Brien remains hilarious. Even more so when he doesn’t have to censor himself for television.

So I’m just going to make a huge assumption and assume that everyone who reads this blog (all, what-two of you? relatives don’t count) knows of the Saga of The Late Night Show on NBC. Jay Leno was supposed to leave, O’Brien was supposed to take over. Key word here-’supposed’. What happened was that Leno was bombing in his early time slot, and O’Brien’s ratings weren’t doing too great either. So the executives decided to slot Leno (an NBC staple) back into the Late Night Show, and put O’Brien on a half hour later.

CoCo wasn’t pleased. CoCo just said ‘no’. And so began The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour. (I’ve got to stop calling him CoCo) And so began this documentary.

Conan O’Brien literally cannot stop. Seriously. Never had a film had a more appropriate title. Only when he is alone (save the cameras) does the Late Night star even start to wind down, to relax. But once a guest comes through those dressing room doors, he’s up again and giving 100% over and over. And I’m not going to say he’s a saint afterwards, because he isn’t-he complains a little, and with reason.

Can't keep going without makeup, CoCo...

The thing is, is that O’Brien, no matter where he is, is always going to give you whatever he’s got, and more. Which is what makes him a performer. Not a great performer, but a performer who cares enough for his audience to physically exhaust himself and not let them know it. I mean, he is a great performer, but frankly I can’t ever see him being subdued or sitting in the background, twiddling his thumbs.

The film has a very cathartic feeling to it, which isn’t surprising given how the tour came to be. He’s angry, yes, and with good reason. I’m not saying Leno was the devil in the scenario, but O’Brien was jerked around for a bit, and stood his ground, no matter how much people called him out on it. And so it comes out every so often, the anger and frustration at how he had reached that point in his life. The tour is great, but it wouldn’t have happened if not for the NBC executives giving him the shaft. It’s good, because of the bad.

Things I learned from this film-Conan O’Brien is very gracious. He is very self-deprecating, and very willing to be the centre of attention, while at the same time wanting those around him to join in.

Kumbayah, CoCo, kumbayah...

If you’ve seen the trailer to this documentary, ignore it-when I first saw it, all I could think of was how spoiled he appeared to be, but the film itself tells a completely different story. So please-watch this. It’s really good. I swear.