IMDb:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0331906/
Date of Birth:28 February 1955, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Date of Death:12 April 2022, ventricular tachycardia
Height:5' 5" (1.65 m)
Trademarks:Squinting Loud, raspy shouting Heavy Brooklyn accent
Struggling comedian James Mullinger (based on the eponymous, real-life comedian) has come to a crossroads in his life; no one wants to see him perform, his wife is fed up, and his day time boss has given him an ultimatum - take a promotion and never do stand up again, or stick to the comedy and lose his job. To add salt to the wound, his boss sends him to LA. to interview some of the greatest comedians alive for the magazine. Through spending time with his former heroes, a faint glimmer of his passion for stand-up comedy begins to stir again.
Owen Suskind was a boy of considerable promise, until he developed autism at the age of 3. As Owen withdrew into his silent state, his parents almost lost hope that he would find some way to interact with his world in some meaningful way. However, that way was found through animated films, especially those of the Walt Disney Company, which provided Owen a way to understand the world through its stories to the point of creating his own. This film covers the life of Owen and how he manages to become as functional as possible with the help of Disney and his family to the point of having his own life. However, Owen soon learns that there is more to real life than what Disney can illustrate in animation even as his family prepares itself for an uncertain future with him.
Whilst painters, writers, musicians even dancers are talked about as Artists, stand-up comedians are often regarded as mere entertainers - yet their work has possibly more direct effect on an audience than any other art form. These are social and cultural commentators who at their best can change the way we think about important matters whilst making us howl with laughter. A stand-up comedian must be the writer, the director and the star performer, and unlike any other performance there is no rehearsal, no practice, no safety net, the stand-up can only work in front of a live audience - with feedback being instantaneous and often brutal. For most people baring their soul to then have an audience boo or heckle them would be a life-changing trauma, for stand-ups it's a weekly challenge. Dying Laughing is a unique glimpse into the agony and ecstasy of performance along with an singular examination into the day-to-day life of a professional stand-up.