'Conan O'Brien Can't Stop' A Review

A documentary beginning with Conan's firing from 'The Tonight Show' follows his live tour through North America. A cross between Bob Dylan's 'Don't Look Back' and Vince Vaughn's 'Old West Comedy Show'. The film is a fascinating portrait of who Conan really is, what drives him.

The title is absolutely perfect. The most interesting part of the film is Conan's obsession with and need to perform. You see Conan at a volatile part of his life and it feels like a very accurate portrayal. He's highs are high and his lows are low. We see him elated, depressed, and angry. He makes jabs at his staff one minute and says he couldn't do it without them the next. He bemoans meeting fans and signing autographs but can't keep himself away when he knows there's a crowd waiting for him.

The clearest thing in the film is Conan's driving need to perform. As a performer myself I can identify but his is obviously on a totally different level. There are moments before the shows where Conan simply sits alone, waiting, anticipating the rush of the crowd. After shows he quickly tears off his shirt and flops down in a chair completely spent. The expression he has during both moments is the same, empty. He needs the audience to animate him, afterwards he's given everything but still wants more. He gives his all during performances you can tell. After every show the camera simply watches Conan sweat and pant. He's 47 after all.

One of my favorite scenes of the film is from Conan's LA show. His manager organizes a party before the show with celebrities and critics. This enrages Conan because he's forced to be 'on' when he should be mentally preparing himself. He works the crowd but we know from asides he's seething. His old employee and friend Jack McBrayer comes into his dressing room with Jon Hamm and he mercilessly makes fun of him. Conan takes out all his frustration on McBrayer. It's all funny of course and presumably not personal but still it's...mean. But we also get a sense that he does it because he's frustrated and their friends, he can do it and probably needs to. We also know McBrayer takes it with a grain of salt because he does a jig towards the end of the sequence.

This movie lets us know the man we watch every night on TV on a personal level. Anyone who feels a need to perform should watch this movie(improvisers this means you!). It's fun, funny, and has the ring of truth.

Don't Miss It.