Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution

[CM-BlueButterfly]

Netflix documentary that premieres June 18 2024

Quote

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution is the first feature-length documentary to examine the history of queer stand-up comedy. The documentary considers the importance of LGBTQ+ stand-up as an instrument for social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values. Ultimately, the film reveals that queer comedians — whether they intended to or not — helped change the world, one joke at a time.

 

[DanaK]

Official trailer

 

 

[Bastet]

I'm glad this is finally being released.  Back in summer of 2022, when Netflix aired a 90-minute version of the historic three-hour show performed in L.A. as part of the first Netflix is a Joke festival, featuring the largest-ever assembly of LGBTQ+ comedians and presenters, it was partly to promote this upcoming documentary -- slated for release later that year!  Hopefully it's worth the wait.

[Bastet]

On 6/3/2024 at 4:14 PM, Bastet said:

I'm glad this is finally being released.  Back in summer of 2022, when Netflix aired a 90-minute version of the historic three-hour show performed in L.A. as part of the first Netflix is a Joke festival, featuring the largest-ever assembly of LGBTQ+ comedians and presenters, it was partly to promote this upcoming documentary -- slated for release later that year!  Hopefully it's worth the wait.

Quoting myself to say I finally watched it, and it's indeed worth the wait.  It's very well done -- comprehensive, moving, funny, and uplifting.

Flo Kennedy and Gloria Steinem I've seen doing the great "Are you my alternative?" response to being asked if they're lesbians, but I hadn't seen the clip of Robin Tyler doing the same until this.  Tyler was a great interview, and I'm glad this really gave her her due, as I don't think she's as well known as some of the others.

"Closets are vertical coffins; all you do is suffocate to death" is a great quote.  One of the most interesting aspects of this documentary for me was hearing from the older comics about why they came out when they did, because those who were loud and proud from the beginning are brave as hell trailblazers, but their careers suffered, often greatly, because of it.  So it's no slam on those who weren't ready until later.

This did a really good job with the history, including highlighting something I wasn't even aware of -- openly queer comedy seems modern to me, but it turns out there was big progress in the '20s, which got thwarted by the Depression and then WWII.

I had not been aware of the blatant homophobia in Carl Reiner's and Mel Brooks' stand-up routines back in the day.  Ouch. 

I also didn't know Lily Tomlin had been offered the cover of Time back in '75 if she'd come out to them exclusively.  I did know of Richard Pryor's "Kiss my happy, rich Black ass" diatribe to the white audience at the Night for Rights benefit (here's a good article if you want more background on why he was pissed off), but not that Lily Tomlin loved it (not everything he said, of course, but that she'd told the producer if you hire Richard Pryor, you're going to get Richard Pryor, and then he went out there and was Richard Pryor).  Yet another reason to love her.

I appreciated the attention paid to transgender comics, and their unique challenges even within the LGBTQ community.

People get their flowers in this documentary, with the newest generation paying respect and getting their own props.  I highly recommend it.

[possibilities]

I just finally watched this. Loved it. I grew up in the belly of the 1970s beast and had waves of nostalgia watching. 

Really appreciated that they didn't marginalize the lesbians. So many so-called community productions center gay male and trans female culture and dykes ingeneral get a footnote. But the way I remember it, we were, as this production notes, always a big voice. 

This could have been a series, though. So many elements of the  queer comedy culture, and so many individuals, were not covered. If this gets enough play, maybe they will do more installments, featuring folks who got left out. But even if they don't, this felt like a very well-balanced presentation.