Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

1. Ida Eriksson 02.12.14 / 10pm

   This was a really good poem!
   The rhymes really adds a sarcastic touch to it which fits.
   It’s sad how people could tell jokes about humans like that.

   I liked the ending!
2. Mirass Jalil 02.13.14 / 10am

   This documentary was amazing! So different from the rest and so well done! To use a simple concept like Alan Zweig does and make it extremely funny is something I didn’t expect. Funny review, however, I didn’t catch your opinion?
3. April Vitikainen 02.15.14 / 2pm

   This poem was really good!
   I also saw this documentary and I loved it. Definitely the best documentary I saw at the festival.
4. Becky Saffold 02.15.14 / 3pm

   The title of the film caught my attention, as it conjured up stereotypical images. The poem elaborated on those images, which are so ingrained in our society. The line in the poem, “their humor saved their lives amidst genocide” was really impactful.

   After viewing the film, I’m wondering what your reaction was to it. Did you find it informative? Offensive? Did you find it stereotyped Jewish people? Or did you have a new understanding about Jewish people, and in particular, Jewish comedians?

   And in answer to your question, no I’m not Jewish, but your review has intrigued me to want to see this film.
5. Daniel Chein 02.15.14 / 6pm

   Hi Becky, thanks for your thoughtful comment.

   I think that the film explores the interplay between 1) Jewish culture, traditions, and language, 2) how discrimination against Jews throughout history informs their sense humor, and 3) the loss, or transformation, of identity as immigrants assimilate to American society, modernity, and perhaps changes in the socio-economic and political status of Jews around the world. The filmmaker himself is Jewish- which gives him access to privileged information and people but also reveals his angle: he wants to find out if other Jewish-Americans also think that their comedy is dying and why. I think my reaction is slightly biased because I grew up on Seinfeld and for me, this film was able to put the ‘point’ on many of my thoughts about Jewish humor. Some of the comedians featured were before my time, but I still resonated with their comedy.

   The tendency when viewing anything expository or labeled documentary is that it should be taken as truth. And it is very important to ask questions like if the film stereotypes those being represented as Jewish, so props on that note. No, not all Jews are funny, and no, not all Jews have the same sense of humor: it’s not something genetically determined by any means. But defining Jew can be very hard because it is both a religion and an ethnicity; the Jewish state of Israel has both Jewish and non-Jewish citizens. There are Ethiopian Jews and Russian Jews, orthodox Jews and secular Jews and so on, all with very different experiences, yet all who could be identified under the umbrella of Jew. I think if you know this going into the film–that it does not represent ALL Jews–you can still learn a lot about a particular aspect of some Jews’ humor, and have a laugh while you’re at it.
6. Jacob Wirsenius 02.15.14 / 7pm

   Very funny and well done review! I saw this film and it was the best documentary I saw during the festival.
7. Becky Saffold 02.15.14 / 8pm

   Thanks so much for responding to my comments, Daniel. I really do look forward to seeing this film.

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