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18 Reviews
Tomatometer
94%
100+ Ratings
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Critics Consensus
Offering a detailed and highly entertaining oral history of the failed Dana Carvey Show, Too Funny to Fail is too funny to be missed.
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Jeff M
Dana Carvey was hotter than hot after his departure from Saturday Night Live, so his own prime time sketch show seemed like a home run even in theory. However, this fantastically interesting documentary about said show - which only lasted 8 episodes - is proof that the finest ingredients don't necessarily result in a terrific meal. Was it a bad show or was it just ahead of its time? I suppose we'll never know. It seems like it could have developed a cult following if it had been given a chance. In any case, this is a must see for comedy nerds like myself, especially those interested in Saturday Night Live. Interviews include Carvey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and Robert Smigel, all of whom were involved in the show. I found myself laughing loud and laughing often - one moment in particular involving its lead-in show HOME IMPROVEMENT still makes me laugh just thinking about it. Even if you don't generally care for documentaries, I think you'll find a lot to like here if the subject matter interests you at all. And you'll never be able to erase the memory of seeing Carvey as a multi-nippled Bill Clinton nursing a cadre of animals. Some things are just too twisted for color TV.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/11/24
Full Review
Torin F
Very funny in its own right, TOO FUNNY tells an interesting origin story for some major names in comedy and culture, all while reminding us what a legend Dana Carvey is, and sharing some of the failed show's wacky humor.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
06/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is not just hilarious - there are some great moments - but it's a flat-out inspiring story of just GOING FOR IT and how (when you do) even failure is success.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Documentary about the sketch show that Dana Carvey put together after he left SNL, the people involved, and the trajectory from high expectations to cancelation. I'm not super familiar with him or SNL, but it was pretty interesting watching all these people talk about how the show came to be. Seeing a lot of familiar faces really helped make a connection with past and present. I now know where the "da Bears" thing comes from.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
There is no way this should have been made without Louis CK contributing to the interviews. It was still really fun to watch, but man what a bummer to not have his perspective included.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This was a pretty good documentary of a legendary fail. I was really excited for this show and was oh-so-disappointed when I saw it. It had a chance to be really funny, instead it was like when an improv troup recedes into inside joke mode.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
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Too Funny to Fail: Trailer 1
Too Funny to Fail: Trailer 1
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Lara Zarum
Village Voice
Too Funny to Fail, which is now streaming on Hulu, is a sprightly and hilarious look at what a title card calls "arguably one of the most spectacular failures in television history."
Nov 8, 2017
Full Review
Julie Hinds
Detroit Free Press
The documentary revels in the details of how the show confounded the network and infuriated many viewers during its seven-episode run.
Oct 25, 2017
Full Review
Ian Crouch
New Yorker
For a movie about a cancelled TV show, Too Funny to Fail is surprisingly cheerful, in large part owing to the fact that so many of the performers and writers on the show went on to such great comedy heights.
Oct 25, 2017
Full Review
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)
As a film, Too Funny to Fail is workman-like. It does the job it needs to do, gives the performers room, and assembles the pieces of the story in a clear and coherent fashion.
Mar 7, 2018
Full Review
Adrian Mack
Georgia Straight
With some of the funniest people on Earth enthusiastically discussing their greatest failure, it's the interviews that really sell this insanely entertaining film.
Mar 5, 2018
Full Review
Josh Sorokach
Decider
... Too Funny To Fail is one of the most entertaining comedy documentaries in recent history.
Dec 20, 2017
Full Review
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