Marty, Life Is Short
(USA, 99 min.)
Dir. Lawrence Kasdan
Prod. Sara Bernstein, Blair Foster, Lawrence Kasdan, Meredith Kaulfers, Christopher St. John, Justin Wilkes
Don’t expected to laugh much during the Martin Short documentary. In fact, you’re more likely to cry.
The comedian is the latest Canadian icon to get the documentary treatment. Marty, Life Is Short hews awfully close to its unofficial cousin John Candy: I Like Me. For actors who enjoyed considerable success by making audiences enjoy a lark, the docs about these comics don’t aim to tickle the funnybone. Instead, Marty, Life Is Short illustrates the power in finding the ability to laugh in the face of tragedy and to have the strength to lighten the mood when life seems almost too heavy to withstand.
The premise for the documentary certainly isn’t a new argument in the accounts of Short’s career. His 2014 memoir discusses healing through laughter as he learned to cope with loss from an early age. The doc makes the same point as Short remembers losing his older brother David when he was twelve, and then both parents by the time he was twenty. On one hand, the film pigeonholes Short’s biography by defining it through his proximity to tragedy. On the other, Short’s reminiscences about grief and loss prove very touching given that his daughter, Katherine, died in a suicide in February, and his long-time colleague/friend Catherine O’Hara passed just weeks before. (And friends Rob and Michele Reiner were murdered not long before that.)
O’Hara appears in interviews in the documentary and her final insights about family, friendship, and comedy arguably serve among the film’s highlights. Her presence also gives a sense of how Short has spent a lifetime keeping friends and family alive by sharing memories about them.
The film, directed by Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill), thoughtfully straddles a biographical portrait of Short with a larger conversation starter about living through grief. Short remains an old pro during interviews. He’s funny and off-the-cuff, but also introspective and generous with his responses. Besides his many years of professional acting and media training, his stories reflect a personality that knows the power of a well-timed joke to put people at ease. He understands the difference between a light-hearted conversation and a lightweight one.
Marty, Life Is Short weaves between these threads as it recaps Short’s unlikely rise to stardom. Short and many interviewees, including actors Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Steve Martin (no relation) join the likes of friends and collaborators including Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson to offer personal and professional insights into his story. There’s Short’s wayward route through his studies, dabbling in social work and pre-med before catching the acting bug. Then there’s the legendary 1972 Toronto production of Godspell, which connected him with many Canadian talents for years to come. (There’s a great documentary about that story, too.)
The Godspell years bridge Short’s acting career and family life as he speaks about meeting his late wife, Nancy Dorman, during the run. Even his memories about a life partner lost too soon come inflected with humour. He shares anecdotes about hooking up with Dorman after she ditched her former beau and he split with Gilda Radner. Cue a story about booking a room at the Four Seasons when they barely look old enough to drive a car.
The film somewhat struggles to find forward motion, though, as it lags with some repetitive talking points. However, there’s also a sense of the emotional baggage that Short carries. He’s candid about this part, too, especially when looking at performances like his Emmy-nominated turn on Damages in the wake of Dorman’s death.
While Kasdan doesn’t quite pace a documentary as well as he does his dramas, he still brings the heart that audiences expect from films like The Big Chill or The Accidental Tourist. Marty, Life Is Short draws upon an extensive range of archival materials to accentuate the emotional beats of the interviews. It’s touching to see so many talents who’ve come and gone in the life of this one performer—Gilda Radner, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Nancy Dorman, etc.—but the wealth of material on display shows comedy greats in their prime. Footage of a young Short and O’Hara riffing in an early SCTV sketch will give viewers all the feels, while range of off-the-wall comedy sketches from SCTV, Saturday Night Live, and Primetime Glick speak to Short’s unflappable energy that never sags.
The film also pays special attention to Short’s memories with family and friends in addition to revisiting career highs and lows. The moral of this story is that movies come and go, series debut and get cancelled, but the lasting impressions come from time spent with loved ones. Short’s tale reflects a need to embrace the time one has with friends and family since he knows all too well how quickly life passes. It’s a surprisingly serious look back at a star who remains at the top of his game with his incredibly funny—and stylish—turn on the hit sitcom Only Murders in the Building, but Short brings a refreshing sense of levity to a mature conversation about the art of letting go.
And, unfortunately, he doesn’t dish on any of the rumours about dating Meryl Streep. That’s fodder for another documentary.
