GILBERT (Neil Berkeley, U.S.). 96 minutes. Rating: NNNN
Director Neil Berkeley follows up his doc about one comic genius, Dan Harmon (Harmontown), with a look at another: Gilbert Gottfried, the whiny-voiced, permanently squinting stand-up who’s known for his blue material, including his raunchy Aristocrats joke, which inspired yet another doc.
Comics from Jim Gaffigan and Jay Leno to Jeff Ross and Bill Burr weigh in on Gottfried’s appeal, and there’s rare footage of his early days performing in Hell’s Kitchen.
Ample time is devoted to his controversial post-Japan-tsunami joke, which lost him his Aflac insurance gig. And there’s a surreal scene on the road in which the Jewish Gottfried performs in front of audience members dressed as Nazis. (His response is classic.)
But the film’s heart is found in his love for his family: his wife, Dara, and his two adorable kids, as well as his two unmarried sisters, one of whom has cancer.
And look for the lovely duet with a 90-year-old Dick van Dyke that’s overflowing with affection.
May 1, 9:30 pm, Hot Docs Cinema May 2, 12:45 pm, Hart House May 7, 9 pm, Hart House
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