Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis

If you are looking for an in-depth expose on the life of the famous comic, or even a roast-style celebration where comics make fun of him, you will have to look somewhere else. Like so much of Jerry Lewis’ career, this documentary is a tightly controlled affair. And that’s just fine. Director Gregg Barson, who did a similar documentary tribute to comedienne Phyllis Diller called Goodnight, We Love You, is obviously a Lewis fan and is just happy to share what he likes about him with the world. The same goes for the mixed bag of talking heads who show up to put their two-cents in; some of them, like Jerry Seinfeld, look honored to be part of the proceedings  while others, like Chevy chase stare into the camera like they are looking for their check. Through it all, one gets a sense of not only Lewis’ place in the world of comedy, but his passion for what he does and his honest belief that nobody does it better.