Being a film buff isn’t easy, so we people that watch many movies tend to be more or less organized about our watching habits – or at least act like it. We create list after list of movies we ‘have to watch’ and at the same time know that we will never truly reach the bottom. Which isn’t a bad thing. But sometimes, it’s nice to just watch something completely by chance – just let an algorithm of some sort decide your movie of the day. For example, do a random search at Netflix and watch the movie that pops up. Since I have to be organized about it at least a little, I will do a search for each color of the rainbow at Netflix every month. And in the end, maybe Kermit will write a song about it.
This will be my last post for the Netflix Rainbow, since I have run out of colors. But do stick around next month; hopefully, I will be back with a brand-new feature. If you like to laugh, do stick around for now as well, because we’re about to talk about a movie that is sure to induce laughing. If you have any humor, that is. Zach Galifianakis live at the Purple Onion is a mockumentary about one of Zach Galifianakis’ stage performances at a San Francisco venue called the Purple Onion. The performance is real but there is some staged behind-the-scenes material, including an interview with Zach’s “twin brother” Seth Galifiankis, played by Zach. The film hints at Zach being a wounded and perhaps slightly mental persona, a lot of which is “discovered” in the interview with the simple-minded, suburban Seth.
Accompanied by a lullaby tune that he plays on the piano, Zach’s (stand-up) performance in itself is just a lot of jokes that get thrown out there. They are often one or two liners and there is not much of a consistensy between them. However, for some reason, it works. Zach’s style is simply irresistible; a pretty-darn-drunk you meet at 4 o’clock in your favorite bar mixed with your old, done-with-it uncle mixed with an annoying guy that tries to flirt with you. He has the perfect amount of mental down, much like he does in his signature roles like The Hangover’s Alan or Ethan in Due Date. His on-stage presence is pretty much what he has done in Between Two Ferns for years now and it works just as perfectly in the extended time frame.
Like all good comedians, Zach does not take himself very seriously – thus the show (and the movie) end in one hilarious, self-deprecating joke that leave you laughing as the credits roll. This, and many of the little jokes in here, is still very stuck in my head. I can definitely see myself re-watching this.
But honestly, at what age do you tell a highway that it’s adopted?
