Jerry Before Seinfeld is a 2017 stand-up comedy film that follows comedian Jerry Seinfeld as he returns for a stand-up routine at the New York City comedy club, Comic Strip Live, which started his career.[1] The album of the special was nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. This is his third special and his first with Netflix.
| Jerry Before Seinfeld | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Written by | Jerry Seinfeld |
| Directed by | Michael Bonfiglio |
| Starring | Jerry Seinfeld |
| Music by | Paul Little |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
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| Cinematography |
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| Running time | 61 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | September 19, 2017 |
Influences
editIn the Netflix comedy special, Jerry Before Seinfeld, Jerry displayed his personal comedy album collection from when he was a teenager.[2] These albums include:
- Lenny Bruce – Thank You Masked Man (1972)
- Bill Cosby – I Started Out as a Child (1961)
- George Carlin – Class Clown (1972)
- Steve Martin – Let's Get Small (1977)
- Bob Newhart – The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (1960)
- Mike Nichols and Elaine May – Improvisations to Music (1958)
- Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner – 2000 and One Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (1961)
There is also a brief montage of comedians who Seinfeld admired: Bruce, Richard Pryor, and Jonathan Winters. Seinfeld also talks about the influence Mad Magazine had on him.
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.35/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Jerry Before Seinfeld finds its star revisiting his earliest material on his hometown stage, offering appropriately familiar – yet still abundant – laughs along the way."[3]
Formats
editIn addition to streaming, the audio was released as a double-vinyl record on September 29, 2017.[4]
References
edit- ^ Hoffman, Ashley (September 19, 2017). "9 Things We Learned From Jerry Seinfeld's Netflix Special". Time. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "The greatest hits collection Jerry Before Seinfeld gives the people what they want". TV Club. 19 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Jerry Before Seinfeld (2017)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ "Jerry Seinfeld – Jerry Before Seinfeld". Discogs. September 19, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.