DYING TO DO LETTERMAN – SLIFF Review

Growing up we’re always told that it’s important to set goals, to follow your dreams. But what if you were given a time limit to achieve these (shorter than your expected life span). This is the dramatic theme in the new documentary DYING TO DO LETTERMAN. The film follows the journey of a likable professional stand-up comedian in his thirties by the name of Steve Mazan. Growing up his comedy hero was David Letterman, so his goal was to do his act on Dave’s show. Then the fates threw him a curve. His doctor told him that he had cancerous tumors on his liver. Inoperable. Worst case scenario- he had maybe  five, six years. Instead of plopping on the coach and bemoaning his fate, Mazan focused in on his Letterman Show dream with a vengeance. After asking his comedy club audiences to email the show, he gets an official letter from NYC. One of the Letterman producers tells him that it’s not gonna’ happen-they’re not in the business of granting wishes. This news just makes Mazn more determined. He doesn’t want to get on the show because he’s sick. He wants to earn it by being funny. Trouble is that his wait time could be very brief.

What could’ve been a grim story becomes a tale of hope and laughter. His girlfriend of only a few months becomes a great source of strength as she decides to stay with him and tries to  follow her dreams also. We get a look at how comedians work up their act and massage their jokes to perfection. Mazan gets a lot of help from a couple of comic pals and gets some advice from several Letterman vets (Jim Gaffigan, Kevin Nealon, Brian Regan, and Ray Romano, whose Letterman stint turned into a huge sitcom). He also gets  a pep talk from the late, great Robert Shimmel (perhaps his last interview before he succumbed to cancer). This film is an uplifting story that will give you a great insight into the lives of the men and women who grab a mike, deal with rowdy drunks, and follow their hearts  no matter what life throws at them.

Showtimes
Saturday, November 12th at 2:15pm – Plaza Frontenac Cinema