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Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution

Play trailer Poster for Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution 2024 1h 40m Documentary LGBTQ+ Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution is the first feature length documentary to explore the history of queer stand up comedy. The documentary considers the importance of LGBTQ+ stand up as a driver of social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values. Ultimately, the film reveals that queer comedians -- whether they intended to or not -- helped change the world, one joke at a time.

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Don Aucoin Boston Globe If you doubt that representation matters all that much, watch “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution.” Sep 3, 2024 Full Review David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter Outstanding makes a persuasive, highly entertaining case that the evolution of queer comedy is inextricably bound to broader developments in representation, and that emerging next-gen queer comics could learn a lot from their forebears. Jun 19, 2024 Full Review Chris Azzopardi New York Times Hurwitz examines comedy’s place in the L.G.B.T.Q. movement in... “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution,” creating a rich, century-long timeline full of archival footage, behind-the-scenes glimpses and candid interviews with comedians. Jun 18, 2024 Full Review Jen Shieff New Zealand Herald Plenty here to inspire a new generation of LGBTQIA+ comics, thought-provoking and highly entertaining for the mature general public. Rated: 4/5 Jan 9, 2025 Full Review Tim Miller Cape Cod Wave Magazine Highlights include a rare, controversial clip of Richard Pryor confronting a gay audience and a look at the career of Robin Tyler, the first lesbian or gay comic to come out on national TV. Rated: 3/4 Aug 17, 2024 Full Review Robert W. Butler Butler's Cinema Scene Some of the artists featured here are worthy of stand-alone documentary treatment. But the omnibus approach taken by Hurwitz provides an effective look at the variety and breadth of gay comedy… and whets the viewer’s appetite for more. Rated: B Jul 11, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews
Kyle B I am not sure who gave this person her job in comedy, but every one of the things she has produced has been absolute trash. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/03/25 Full Review Jens B 🌈 Good and important, entertaining and informative. I really enjoyed the special from two years ago, but here comes the big but: While it’s true that Netflix deserves credit for making all of this possible, why do I only see a fraction of these comedians on Netflix? Why does it have to remain a one-time thing? Why not create an ongoing queer variety show? You don’t need big names, just talent. Surely it can’t be that hard, can it? Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/28/24 Full Review Zach W Great documentary about amazing trailblazers who deserve to be spotlighted. Such powerful messages throughout. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/30/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution

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Movie Info

Synopsis Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution is the first feature length documentary to explore the history of queer stand up comedy. The documentary considers the importance of LGBTQ+ stand up as a driver of social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values. Ultimately, the film reveals that queer comedians -- whether they intended to or not -- helped change the world, one joke at a time.
Director
Page Hurwitz
Producer
Colin Devenish, Lisa Singer Haese, Sharon Houston
Screenwriter
Page Hurwitz
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Push It Productions, Brian Graden Media
Genre
Documentary, LGBTQ+, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 18, 2024
Runtime
1h 40m