Certifiably Jonathan

Released Feb 11, 2011

1h 25m

Comedy

List

25%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A famous artist and comedian thinks he has lost his touch until a series of well-known comics stop by to help him rekindle his artistic and comedic fires.

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Audience Member

Could have been a lot better, but it just didn't quite work. The movie gets depressing at points.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is the funniest thing i've seen in years. Not only because it allows Winters to be unfettered. Not only for the classic clips included. Not only because we get to see Robin and his Gandalf work their magic. It's the funniest thing i've seen in years because it made a fool out of me. I really thought this was a real documentary, but as it goes on...you begin to wonder. And then as it goes, due to the great acting by Winters and crew, there are genuine moments of pathos...which of course is all staged and not geniune. That's the genius of this film. Because it is at the same time a tribute to Winters, a true documentary of his life and a chance to see him as himself, and at the same time Winters is also sending up himself, his art, his comedy, etc. Yes, often it goes Spinal Tap and tries and succeeds to be really funny on purpose, "look i'm a mockumentary", but it is a great film as well due to its range because it never milks everything for a laugh. It is also a great satire on the art world in general. No, Winters' work will never be in the MOMA. His art is great enough but it will never be due to the politics of the art world. Winters is the rarest of artists...he is able to take neither himself or his art seriously...which is why he is a great artist and a national treasure and why it is wonderful to see modern comedians in this film look six inches tall in his presence. A classic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Thought this was going to be a documentary. It's a "fake" documentary that never makes the natural leap to mockumentary... so it sits uncomfortably straddling both sides... fully committing to neither.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film was one of the strangest I've ever seen -- on one hand, a great homage, and on the other hand, done in an entirely characteristic, aka mad kind of way! Any more info would require constant spoiler alerts -- suffice it to say, what you see turns out not at all to be what it seems! And with a running time of 71 minutes, it's over before you know it, and then you can ask, 'what was that?!!'

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved the improvization and talent of Jonathan Winters.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wonderful thoughtful, insightful, often hilarious inside look into one of the great comedic minds of all time. Truly a pleasure.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Jim Pasternak

Director

Jonathan Winters

Self

Robin Williams

Self

Howie Mandel

Self

Nora Dunn

Herself

Sarah Silverman

Self

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

For a movie literally about "finding the funny," it's ironic that director Jim Pasternak too rarely does in his fitfully lively but mostly awkward mockumentary "Certifiably Jonathan."

Rated: 2/5

Mar 31, 2011

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jonathan Winters is a fine and funny fellow, and deserves better than this.

Rated: 1/4

Feb 17, 2011

Full Review

Joseph Jon Lanthier

Slant Magazine

Jim Pasternak's documentary is a sophisticated appreciation of Winters as an unsung multi-talent.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 16, 2011

Full Review

David Noh

Film Journal International

There's a trove of laughs to be found here, courtesy of the ineffable Jonathan Winters, which somewhat override the labored mockumentary gimmick.

Feb 11, 2011

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A whimsical documentary about the elderly comedian Jonathan Winters and his quest to have his paintings exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 11, 2011

Full Review

Elvis Mitchell

Movieline

It's got a great subject -- the extraordinarily voluble comedian Jonathan Winters, whose constant rush of words can be like a blizzard: beautiful, maddening, exhausting and finally beautiful again. But it's not a great film.

Rated: 5/10

Feb 10, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

A famous artist and comedian thinks he has lost his touch until a series of well-known comics stop by to help him rekindle his artistic and comedic fires.

Director: Jim Pasternak
Producer: Thomas Hines, Hal Kessler
Production Co: FilmDada
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 11, 2011, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.8K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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