STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces

"I mostly only liked this newer Steve Martin #documentary from a CREATIVE standpoint—Steve Martin is definitely a #creative and #versatile performer, first with his #standup career and #banjo-playing, then breaking into #acting and film #writing. I adore ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, his current comedy TV series with his good friend Martin Short. He’s had quite the #artistic evolution, for sure, but I gotta agree with a few of the other reviews here; something about this #doc left me wanting more. 🤷‍♀️ Still, even if it didn’t fully satisfy and wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it’s a nice #showcase of his remarkable accomplishments (not to mention his impressive energy and resilience in his early years!)."

"I was looking forward to this but wasn’t particularly impressed. He is an incredibly funny guy who was a groundbreaking standup comic in his early days. But the story itself is slow and after the focus on his standup, I found myself just pushing thru the rest. "

"He is a national treasure!"

"I enjoyed learning about Steve's life, of which I've found is fairly common (in general) for comedians to have had a bit of the rough start (of course there's always exceptions), so I was not so surprised. I also thought his upbringing may have played a part in his eventual success. I admired his persistence!! Steve's always been one of my favorite comedians from SNL skits, movies, and otherwise. Now I HAVE TO get that egg poacher!! (I located it online.)"

"I have mixed feelings about this one. Some parts were weird & cringey while others were poignant & inspirational. Steve didn’t seem happy about doing this documentary. (Though Martin Short seemed to be!) It’s divided into two parts about 90 minutes each. The first part (“then”) delves mostly into his early life as a stand-up comedian. He doesn’t actually appear visibly on screen during the present in this part but does do voiceover. Since I am more interested in his acting career, I appreciated the second part (“now”) more- especially since he is seen presently in everyday life (mostly with Martin Short) & being interviewed. Also interwoven throughout are various conversations about how unhappy his personal life was, both as a child & as a single, lonely adult. It was heartbreaking hearing him discuss his emotionally-abusive & indifferent father & also when he was talking about his beloved friend & former co-star John Candy. (Had to pause a few times for tears.) If you only care about his movies from The Jerk on, then skip to second half (part two) of doc. On Apple."

"“You can be what you choose to be”

I feel like this really captures what it feels like for people that work so hard to break into their careers. This doc is a reminder to just never give up, but also don’t settle. If something isn’t working, improve it or don’t be afraid to change your approach. Really interesting perspective and almost logical how this film broke down Steve’s career. The second part of this really showed the growth Steve had gone through in his life and how he’s almost like 2 different people. It’s interesting how a lot of the storyline is him being isolated throughout his life and how now his life isn’t like how it was in his 30s/40s. This film really made me look at life from a backseat view. Seeing the beginning to present of someone’s life and even relating it to my own. A lot of what Steve felt in his 20s I’ve experienced/ am experiencing now as a person in my 20s. Things really do happen in their own time and once it clicks it’s magical. This documentary is hope, through perseverance and continually growing both career and as a person. Great doc, I’d def watch it again if ever in a rut creatively. "