| Bitter Jester | |
|---|---|
The movie cover for Bitter Jester.  | |
| Directed by | Maija DiGiorgio |
| Produced by | Kenneth Simmons |
| Written by | Maija DiGiorgio David Burton Levin |
| Starring | Maija DiGiorgio, Jody Delgiorno |
| Music by | Joe Delia |
Release date | February 26, 2003 |
| Language | English |
Bitter Jester is a documentary starring Maija DiGiorgio, Kenny Simmons, Jody Del Giorno and Heather McConnell. It's a portrait of the comedy world that includes interviews with a multitude of stars including Richard Pryor, Richard Belzer and many others.
Plot
Maija DiGiorgio is a naive New York comic whose therapist recommends a video diary as a means of examining herself. Maija's borderline psychotic ex-boxer boyfriend, Kenny Simmons and director of photography, Jody Del Giorno sees a means to instant stardom.
Maija, searching to find answers to the meaning of life and art, the answers for art and artifice, allows Kenny to impose his "vision" onto her film. Before long, the three (along with a crew of misfits) are criss-crossing the country, interviewing celebrities under a parade of false pretenses. In one famous incident, Kenny makes the cover of The New York Post after a confrontation with Jerry Seinfeld.
Film Festivals
- CineQuest Film Festival
- London Comedy Film Festival
- US Comedy Arts Festival Aspen
- Tribeca Film Festival
Critical reception
Dennis Harris of Variety said "making a movie without really knowing what it's going to be about is not generally advisable, but Maija Di Giorgio's 'Bitter Jester' makes that process quite entertaining." Harris hailed "Jester" as "often hilarious and always diverting" and noted "Di Giorgio may fret that 'Maybe comedy isn't the thing I should be pursuing.' Regardless, she definitely has a future as a filmmaker."[1]
Steve Rhodes of the Online Film Critics Society praised "Bitter Jester is much funnier and more insightful than a similar documentary, Comedian",[2] while MetroActiv described it as "Intense, disturbing, and voyeuristic, the documentary about standup that's not afraid to jump right into the muck."[3] Bitter Jester had a director's cut, simply titled Hollwood Outlaw Movie.*[4]
Celebrity appearances
- Joy Behar
- Richard Belzer
- Peter Boyle
- George Carlin
- Chevy Chase
- Norm Crosby
- Phyllis Diller
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Gilbert Gottfried
- D.L. Hughley
- Dom Irrera
- Kevin James
- Terry Jones
- Richard Kind
- Kathy Kinney
- Robert Klein
- Barry Manilow
- Colin Mochrie
- Paul Mooney
- Richard Pryor
- Colin Quinn
- Tony Roberts
- Ray Romano
- Rita Rudner
- Vincent Schiavelli
- George Schlatter
- Paul Shaffer
- Ryan Stiles
- Jerry Stiller
- Nicole Sullivan
- Judy Tenuta
- Rich Vos
References
- ^ Dennis Harris (2003-03-26). "Bitter Jester". Variety. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
- ^ Steve Rhodes (2003). "Bitter Jester". Internet Reviews. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
- ^ MetroActiv (2003-03-08). "Bitter Jester". MetroActiv. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
- ^ "Hollwood Outlaws". Hollywood Outlaws official website. Retrieved July 17, 2020.