King of Cool

A TCM documentary from last year on the consummate entertainer. Tracing his roots from Ohio to the top of the heap who skirted on his great looks, effortless way around a song & his innate talent & featuring talking heads like his daughter, the RZA, Jon Hamm, et al who chart his early days as a crooner, his hugely popular partnership w/Jerry Lewis (which turned ugly when Lewis started exercising more power over their relationship), his film roles which led him becoming a member of the Rat Pack & finally his popular TV show which ran for about a decade. Through it all, for all the outward good will he displayed, his failed marriages, the death of his son & his inability to connect soon showed a dark side to his persona where even his own nearest & dearest couldn't get in but through it all Martin still remained an timeless enigma which garnered him praise from all comers.

A must see for any full blown or half curious Dean Martin fans. This documentary captures a nice glimpse into what and who Dean Martin was, both in his professional and personal life. Many funny moments as well a narrative recollection from many who were close within his circle. After seeing this informative piece I have a desire to make.pasta fagioli!

I didn't expect much from this documentary. No idea of how well it was put together or what depth of research was made. BUT this was very professionally made, and in every important aspect.

I'm 61 now and can recall watching Dean Martin in movies and his TV show as a kid. I knew something about his rise as a singer, the Martin & Lewis phenomenon, the Rat Pack, the fallout with Jerry Lewis, marriage problems, and the devastation of his son's tragic death. This was all presented in a very coherent and professional manner.

The man's entire life is covered very well here, and very entertainingly so. It was engrossing from the first few minutes and all the way to the end. Injected interviews were spot on...not too short, not too long. In many ways it was a sort of blast from the past, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

It's been a very long time since feeling compelled to write a review on IMBD. In fact, I had to create a new user account to post this. But I felt it was necessary to share my impression after just having watched it.

From a laughably stupid premise, namely Deano as Charles Foster Kane, complete with...are you ready?...pasta fagioli as the key to unlocking his "mystery", this documentary actually manages to be kinda fun, maybe because its subject was the kind of guy who would have told film maker Tom Donahue where to stick his pasta fagioli. Lots of good stuff on the Martin/Lewis feud (my sympathies are ultimately with Martin at having to put up with a too controlling "genius") and some heart breaking stuff on Dean's later years. I thought there was way too much time spent on his variety show (like everything else about the guy in this film, hyper inflated) and the talking heads tended toward the hagiographical and over protective rather than the insightful and critical, but all in all I had a pretty good time watching this bio doc about a good singer, decent actor, and very good golfer for whom I have newfound respect since I learned (from this documentary) that, unlike his fawning pal Frank Sinatra, he refused to attend JFK's inauguration out of support for Sammy Davis who was not invited due to Kennedy family racism. B minus.

I am very glad I watched this film with my daughter, as the film impacted both of us very differently. As a 57 year-old guy, I know I lot about Martin. I've seen most of his films and remember his weekly TV show. My daughter, on the other hand, knew little about him apart from his music...and her reaction to the film is important but quite different. And so, it seems that depending on your age and familiarity with the man will greatly impact on your viewing experience. Much of it is because the film seems to assume you know a lot about Dean Martin...and my daughter had to ask me repeatedly to fill in a few gaps.

The film itself is interesting because there's no narrator. Instead, lots of folks talk about Dean Martin and their recollections of him. Many of these pieces of footage are great...such as from his family and friends. However, a few left me confused as to WHY these people were talking about Dean Martin as they most likely did NOT know the man and were not experts on him. Jon Hamm and the guy from the Wu-Tang Clan were VERY oddly included...as were a few others.

If you are looking for a film about Dean Martin and not his career, this is a very good film. But when it comes to his career, there are a few glaring omissions (such as any mention of his "Celebrity Roasts" or even his individual films with Jerry Lewis). Overall, a very good film with a few problems...which I mentioned above.