The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling

Judd Apatow does this four hour biography of his friend and mentor Garry Shandling. One can really sense the love on the screen. In some ways, it needs the cruelty of a non-fan editor. That's not to say that it indulged in too much filler. Even squeezing it under four hours would be helpful. For example, Garry's written notes are a big part of the show. They are often hard to read and the show stops to let the audience read it. It would speed things up simply by typing out the notes into quotes and place them on screen as Garry does his stand-ups or his other recordings. It's also a little odd to have somebody else reading out his notes. Nevertheless, this is a fully realized telling of a comedic genius. I didn't know about his brother, his lawsuit, or his house. I heard something about his health and assumed that to be the reason for his absence in the later years. Quite frankly, I saw his appearance on Conan and thought he must be suffering from some difficulties. This is a fine biography from friends and the man obviously had many friends in life.

Career driven good guy keeps his soul clean. Worthy subject; worthy tribute. And, no, not too long.

My guess is that Garry Shandling would be very appreciative of how well of a job that Judd Apatow did on this wonderful documentary that chronicalized his life and spirituality. I had not had much exposure to Garry's comedy before watching this. After watching it, I have come away with the fact that he very well may have been the best performer of his time due to the way he held his material to such high standards and also because of the countless amount of people who he mentored.

There is more to learn in this documentary than just how effortlessly funny Garry really was (although he worked tirelessly on his material). It shows the journey to enlightenment. How to accept ones place in the universe. How to resist being egotistical in an effort to not take life more seriously than it needs to be taken.

Thank you Judd. Thank you Garry.

Comedian Garry Shandling died in March of 2016, his close friend and fellow comedian Judd Apatow now brings us a look into Shandling's life and the impact he has had on the comedic landscape.

I don't usually review documentaries because I don't know enough about the format to really say whether it was made well or not.

This is more of a recommendation for a film that really impacted me. Apatow does a great job of capturing what made Shandling so special and the interviews with his friends and family range from hilarious to heartbreaking.

If you are at all a fan of Garry Shandling's work or the history of comedy at this is definitely worth checking out. It's in two parts, both are about 2 hours long so it is a commitment but it's worth it.

The late comedian Garry Shandling was, without a doubt, funny. Sometimes falling-down funny, sometimes cringeworthy-funny. But always engaging. This documentary produced by his friend and writer Judd Apatow is outstanding. It's not fawning. But it gives a touching, honest inside view of the creative process. It's in 2 parts and it's long but not at all boring. I can always tell when a show is dragging because my butt starts to hurt. This didn't hurt my butt one bit.