"The Late Shift" tells the behind-the-scenes story of the battle for the coveted role of host of the Tonight Show after Johnny Carson's retirement. Depending on your view of the world, the film, a docu-drama, may leave you forever seeing Jay Leno as a petty, ambitious, and ruthless; and as having forced Carson's premature retirement. You may also come away with the conclusion that Jay, a hard-working professional entertainer, fought for, and won, the jewel of his profession that un-sympathetic NBC executives dangled before him at the expense of David Letterman, who had faithfully served them for years on their implicit promise of the highest prize they could give–the job of hosting the Tonight Show.
As a result of the well-publicized (and over dramatized) war for the Tonight Show job, Jay no doubt gained many fans but lost many more. Surely millions of Americans (even with the recovery in ratings Jay enjoyed after the drop that followed his initial installation as host) continue to blame him for the loss of their nightly guest into the bosom of their homes. But to truly understand Jay's campaign for the hosting position you must view his fight after seeing him in the Jerry Seinfeld documentary "Comedian." Viewing Jay's life, and the life of the stand-up comic, from the behind the curtain standpoint the documentary provides, will permanently absolve Jay of any perceived wrong-doing in connection with the Tonight Show.
"Comedian" ostensibly follows Seinfeld's foray back into the world of the "working" stand-up after ending his record setting television series. Since everyone knows Seinfeld could have easily, and expected that he would, rest on his laurels from leading "the best comedy in television history," its easy to think a film documenting his return to stand-up as an attempt at self-aggrandizement. The film shows that Seinfeld's return to stand up does not come from a desire to give a gift in return to a first love that gave him more than it ever could have promised.
And the film itself is much more than an homage to his love. The film is a window into the craft itself and a sometimes brutal exposition of the people who love her. That love is no more evident in any of the films' participants–truly the legends of the art–than in Jay Leno. His love for his art exonerates Jay for any hurt or jealousy remaining from his ascension to the throne of comedy and raises him to a national treasure in American entertainment. Although Jay has announced his own retirement from Tonight Show host, I can only pray his departure is on his own terms and not accelerated by illness. Good luck, Jay.
As a result of the well-publicized (and over dramatized) war for the Tonight Show job, Jay no doubt gained many fans but lost many more. Surely millions of Americans (even with the recovery in ratings Jay enjoyed after the drop that followed his initial installation as host) continue to blame him for the loss of their nightly guest into the bosom of their homes. But to truly understand Jay's campaign for the hosting position you must view his fight after seeing him in the Jerry Seinfeld documentary "Comedian." Viewing Jay's life, and the life of the stand-up comic, from the behind the curtain standpoint the documentary provides, will permanently absolve Jay of any perceived wrong-doing in connection with the Tonight Show.
"Comedian" ostensibly follows Seinfeld's foray back into the world of the "working" stand-up after ending his record setting television series. Since everyone knows Seinfeld could have easily, and expected that he would, rest on his laurels from leading "the best comedy in television history," its easy to think a film documenting his return to stand-up as an attempt at self-aggrandizement. The film shows that Seinfeld's return to stand up does not come from a desire to give a gift in return to a first love that gave him more than it ever could have promised.
And the film itself is much more than an homage to his love. The film is a window into the craft itself and a sometimes brutal exposition of the people who love her. That love is no more evident in any of the films' participants–truly the legends of the art–than in Jay Leno. His love for his art exonerates Jay for any hurt or jealousy remaining from his ascension to the throne of comedy and raises him to a national treasure in American entertainment. Although Jay has announced his own retirement from Tonight Show host, I can only pray his departure is on his own terms and not accelerated by illness. Good luck, Jay.