Netflix’s Martin Short Documentary Captures His Lifelong Comic Camaraderie

“He is always trying to maintain the merry theme of life,” asserts Michael Short in the new Netflix documentary based on the life of his brother Martin Short. This statement not only proves to be a mantra for the septuagenarian actor-comedian but a running theme of the doc’s director, Lawrence Kasdan, as he tracks the ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, of his Hollywood friend. Without excessively dwelling on Mr. Short’s sorrows and failures, or delving into his creative process, the film instead recounts his life and career as an endless good time, maintaining an upbeat tone throughout, though its subject ends up seeming both candid and avoidant.Early on in “Marty, Life Is Short,” the comic himself notes how his propensity for humor did not arise from pain, which is often stated as a truism, but from a happy childhood and natural joy. Born in Canada’s Ontario province to upper middle-class parents, he was the youngest of five siblings, honing his penchant for playacting and parody amongst a supportive, loving family. Indeed, with his Irish-born father something of a wit — as well as an alcoholic — and his mother a concert violinist, the young Marty was almost destined to become a performer, as he later did while living in Toronto despite initially pursuing a career in social work and suffering the death of his parents and eldest brother before his 21st birthday. At one point in the documentary, Eugene Levy, Mr. Short’s self-described “oldest and dearest friend,” speaks of viewers’ difficulty in imagining the amount of energy required of his buddy when performing his particular brand of comedy. By highlighting several of Marty’s most famous caricatures, though, Mr. Kasdan makes it quite easy to conceive of the great force needed. In clip after clip, we see him flail, mug, and quip like an array of inexhaustible live-action cartoon characters, ones as indelible as geeky Ed Grimley, who initially became popular on “SCTV” before the actor brought him to “Saturday Night Live.” Beyond his boundless energy, Mr. Short’s indefatigable spirit comes through, too, particularly in light of the many failures in his career. Early films such as “Three Amigos” and “Innerspace” may be considered examples of top 1980s comedies nowadays, yet, upon their release, both were box office disappointments. While acknowledging his many commercial and critical duds on camera, he appears at the same time sensibly unconcerned with them, recognizing how failure comes with the business. The cut-up is also refreshingly pragmatic and down-to-earth about why he pursued a lucrative career in Hollywood, mentioning his responsibilities as a husband and father of three adopted children. Home video footage of his relationship with wife Nancy Dolman, who died in 2010 of ovarian cancer, provides glimpses of what their friends identify as an ideal marriage and a romantic union of two essentially opposite personalities. Marty’s many friendships, though, are what make up the film’s central theme: how a life lived frequently amongst the laughter, camaraderie, and social exchange of friends is more than a life well lived but also one of its supreme states. This is reflected in the house parties he and Mr. Levy would throw in the early 1970s back in Toronto, and, later, in the entertaining he and his wife would do at their Canadian lake cottage and at Christmas parties held in their Los Angeles home. Countless close relationships maintained over the years speak to the comedian’s charm, loyalty, and generous qualities, with those featured and interviewed beyond Mr. Levy including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Andrea Martin, Paul Shaffer, and the recently deceased Catherine O’Hara (in whose memory the film is dedicated). The documentary is also dedicated to the memory of Mr. Short’s daughter, Katherine, who died by suicide this past February at the age of 42. Mr. Short has discussed with the media how Katherine dealt with issues of mental health, though the subject is not broached in the movie. Mr. Kasdan (“The Big Chill”) also essentially ignores the actor’s influences and craft, with only a few references made to the real-life inspirations behind a couple of his characters. Following the standard, “authorized” documentary approach that makes use of personal video, photographs, film and TV clips, and old and new interviews with friends, the streaming movie is enjoyable but never truly captivating, perhaps due to its hagiographic, pal-behind-the-camera perspective, though one could hardly begrudge Mr. Short some grace considering the tragedies he’s experienced. Still, one longs for some scenes addressing how his antic, even obnoxious comedic style is not to everyone’s taste, and how some of his best-known characters, like Franck in “Father of the Bride” and the hilarious Jiminy Glick from Comedy Central’s “Primetime Glick,” draw on gay stereotypes.Speaking of “Father of the Bride,” Steve Martin appears in the film as well. The repartee the two have developed over nearly four decades — starting with “Three Amigos” and running through several other projects, including their comedy duo tours and recent roles on the still-running “Only Murders in the Building” — is built on insults, and yet the mutual respect and admiration between the two couldn’t be clearer. Perhaps that’s the documentary’s greatest achievement: spurring viewers to revisit or watch for the first time their comedy specials and Mr. Short’s other work, including his often uproarious appearances on talk shows and award telecasts. Life is certainly short, but thankfully there is YouTube to call forth the good stuff, which, in Marty’s case, is plentiful.

Netflix’s Martin Short Documentary Captures His Lifelong Comic Camaraderie

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