Anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal thoughts, a cancer diagnosis — we’re not exactly in “Take My Wife, Please” territory with some of today’s more adventurous comedians, who mine their sometimes harrowing personal experiences for material. “Group Therapy” brings together the six of them for a freewheeling discussion in front of cameras and a live audience, “hosted” by Neil Patrick Harris. This isn’t exactly the most in-depth forum for exploring mental health, or comedy’s relationship to it for that matter. However, Neil Berkeley’s excellent feature provides great entertainment value in its mixture of sycophantic characters, improvisational outtakes and serious issues… even if the result ultimately feels more like a high-concept TV special than a ‘documentary’.
While their personalities range from the low-key style of Tig Notaro to the boisterous style of London Hughes, the storyboards here share a tendency to use potentially confusing biographical facts in their actions. For some, like Nicole Byer or Atsuko Okatsuka, this involves confronting stereotypical expectations about race or body image.
When star high school football player Gary Goleman realized that his athletic prowess was mediocre by college standards, his self-esteem collapsed so severely that he was diagnosed with major depression — and he realized he had been coping with that without realizing it, as well as with suicidal thoughts. , since she was seven years old. In adulthood, Notaro endured pneumonia, an intestinal illness, the death of her mother, the departure of her friend, and a cancer diagnosis… all within the space of a year. It was partly through the “very liberating” decision to incorporate those dark experiences into her work, and it was the enthusiastic response to it that propelled her career to a higher level.
These artists discuss the influences we glimpse in archival clips. For Hughes, who found little welcome as her white male colleagues became famous in her native United Kingdom, African-American talents such as Whoopi Goldberg and Brandy provided a model – and encouraged her to emigrate. Goleman says watching the late Richard Lewis made him realize the value of being “quirky, funny and miserable” on stage. Everyone agrees with Mike Birbiglia that Richard Pryor (who was seen joking about his near-fatal freestyle accident) was “the godfather of the autobiographical comedy genre.” Birbiglia was mentored early by Mitch Hedberg, whose problems with drugs and alcohol led to his death two decades ago. Other deceased notables seen baring their demons on stage include Robin Williams and George Carlin.
Mike Birbiglia also remembers a director telling him, “It’s important that your show doesn’t turn into a treatment.” However, ignoring this advice has been a consistent win for him, particularly through the popular narratives of “Sleepwalk With Me” and “Don’t Think Twice.” In liberally used excerpts from the participants’ stand-up routines, they expose highly personal subject matter to often hilarious effect; They were also seen in conversation and interviewed individually backstage.
“Group Therapy” rarely lasts long with its titular event, which was filmed in an Atlanta studio with a small audience seated behind the directors’ circle. Since he’s neither a therapist nor a fellow stand-up, Harris joked, “I’m pretty unclear on why I’m doing this.” But he’s a gentle moderator who sometimes focuses the conversation with queries like, “When was the first time you thought you were funny?”
Berkeley’s film is a tightly edited talk show for many highly entertaining people, whether already familiar to viewers or new acquaintances. Everyone shares some compelling ideas, like when Okatsuka (the only person here with… no She was in therapy) related to the realization that she and her husband were children with schizophrenia. Or when Baer, who was recently diagnosed with ADHD, shrugs my shoulders and says, “I often look very confused when I perform, but I guess that’s just how I am in life.”
It’s an entertaining and lively hour and a half, and you might ignore that the film never manages to seriously address the big, predictable questions: Why does comedy seem to attract so many troubled individuals? Does the profession itself alleviate mental health problems or exacerbate them? This quick and polished diversion finds the cast too funny to bother investigating such matters. Given the pleasure the company offers, this decision is fair enough.