Festival Corner

SXSW Film Reviews: Conan O’Brien the Barbarian vs. Morgan Spurlock the Un-Shyster

Conan O’Brien has a big head. Literally AND figuratively, as apparent in the new documentary Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, that premiered this spring at SXSW 2011. We all heard the stories about Conan being booted off TV and Leno coming back. This film lets us into that large head as we watch Conan getting too big for his britches as his world gets turned upside-down. What would YOU do if, when climbing the late-night TV show ladder, you lose your time-slot in a convoluted shuffle, yet receive $45 million to disappear from national TV for nine months? Well, I'd probably take a nice vacation. But, not Conan. Nope. His solution was to funnel his manic, clever energy into a 40 city road show (which turned out to be far more successful than Charlie Sheen's recent attempt...but I digress).

Rodman Flender, the documentary director, began filming just three days into Conan’s sabbatical. He convinced Conan to consent to a raw, in-the-flesh, warts-and-all-look at his struggle to come to terms with his interim status of anonymity. And what a ride it was.

Morgan Spurlock, the director and star of The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, also screened at SXSW (premiered at Sundance this year), could be a stand-up comedian or talk show host himself. His quick wit and wry perspective mirrors Conan’s jive talking. Both 'comics' come across as tall everymen who translate the world into askew jokes. In Conan’s movie, his humor emanates from narcissism and his need to grab attention at all costs. Morgan’s humor, however, is more subtle, more outward. The premise of The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is an attempt capture the process of financing an independent film through product placement: attracting sponsors to fund a film about attracting sponsors to fund a film. Very circular. He pitched to whomever he could, finally securing meetings with a few brave corporations (companies not too leery of the director of Super Size Me stop customers from eating McDonald's fame). Morgan presented these companies with cleverly prepared like skits and commercial pitches as if from a late-night talk show. He created crafty and comical marketing promises that he actually executes during the filming of the documentary, and surprisingly well.

Early on in his search for funding, Morgan secures what becomes the film’s largest sponsor, Pom pomegranate juice. In order to get the company’s enlightened and humored board to agree to pay for the highest tier of financing for the film (ultimately a million dollars plus incentives), he promises that every person in the movie will be drinking Pom and only Pom drinks. So, picture this: in every subsequent scene where Morgan pitches a new sponsor or films a product placement scene for a different product, he and the people at his meetings are drinking Pom, prominently displayed at the forefront of the shot. Very funny. To reveal other skits would ruin the impact of the jokes in the film, but suffice it to say that his favorite partner is the one and only crossover horse-to-human shampoo product line: Mane ‘n Tail. You can only imagine where Morgan goes with this, and THEY didn't even pay him!

All of Morgan’s jokes are presented in an irreverent, reveal-the-inner-workings-of-the-film-industry manner, without any sense of his own emotional involvement. In contract, Conan’s movie is not scripted or planned, yet simply unveils the development and execution of his impromptu off-season tour. As a consequence, it captures a tortured sole. Conan seems to crave large-scale attention, as he has all hands on deck working to bring an audience to him. His team eventually books and sells out 42 cross-country shows, and then sets about helping Conan create his first-ever stage act.

What works in Conan’s movie is his quick humor, his frenetic energy, and his prodigious talent as a singer, musician, comedian, dancer (dancer? well, kind of). He comes across as an accessible Steve Martin, a funny man for the masses. The movie was extracted from 149 hours of tape, crafted down to an entertaining 89 minutes by Flender, who edited it himself. The audience goes on the wild ride with Conan, an adventuresome experience.

Conan surrounds himself with likable, average support professionals whose normality accentuate his larger-than-life talents. But, his trip through this period is not only funny, but also a disturbing one. It is disconcerting to watch a grown, married, father of two without financial woes so desperately crave applause. During these nine months, Conan lost 30 pounds and hardly ever stopped moving. He constantly punches his staff, who absorb the hits apparently to allow Conan’s juices to flow. His desperation is palpable and somewhat pathetic. Meanwhile, he keeps his team, the live audience, and the film audience continually laughing out loud.

At the Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop premiere, a robustly glowing and even-keeled Conan walked the red carpet and took the stage for the post-showing Q&A. He seemed to have a visceral reaction to watching his frenzied, rude, self-obsessed journey. During the making of the movie, he was pitched the idea of going on TBS (“What’s next, Animal Plant??” he cries at the time). Now, having a current presence of television, even if it is basic cable, has seemed to bring order to his life. It is apparent that this documentary brought immense self reflection into his own life.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold extravaganza (city to city festival screenings), however, has been created as ever-evolving as a road show. Much of the co-branding was negotiated during the filming but doesn't actually kick in until the release of the film, such as collector cups at Sheetz gas stations. Morgan embraced the SXSW Q&A wearing a customized flight jacket covered with the emblems from all of the sponsors. The message from the movie? If you package yourself cleverly, you can attract product placement funding. Morgan seems more amused by the success of the film, and reaction of audiences, than by critiquing the profit-making process. But who am I to judge? It was a very interesting and entertaining film that I hope reaches audiences around the world.

Both films have been picked up for multi-platform distribution deals after their respective premieres, so let the road shows begin! And now I think I'll have a Pom.