The first past of Judd Apatow’s Mel Brooks documentary begins tonight on HBO.
It’s a winner, of course. How could it not be? At 99, Mel Brooks is a wonder of the western world. A comedy genius, director, writer, performer, and mensch.
Apatow and pals couldn’t go wrong even if they tried. But they got it all right, especially with a lot of new interview material with Brooks, who knows how to tell his life story.
Part 1 is punctuated by an interview with Rob Reiner, son of Brooks’s best friend, Carl. Rob says he met Mel at age four, which makes his murder last month all the more upsetting.
There are a lot of home movies and clips of Brooks’s interviews over the years. He’s very honest about being an absent husband to his first wife, and having very low career moments until “The Producers” in 1968 brought him an Oscar. It opened the door to all his success in the 70s and 80s.
Yes, there’s plenty of material about “Get Smart.” And I’m thrilled they used some of Mel on the David Suskind show talking about Jewish mothers. A classic comedy moment.
Stay tuned, because Part 2 airs Friday night, also not to be missed.
The two parts feature new interviews with Brooks himself, as well as the comedians he has inspired including Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Josh Gad, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Tracey Ullman; filmmakers Rob Reiner, Robert Townsend, Peter Farrelly, Jerry & David Zucker, Barry Levinson, and David Lynch; actors Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Cary Elwes, Matthew Broderick, and Nathan Lane; Brooks’ children Stefanie, Nicolas, Eddie, and Max; and granddaughter Samantha.
