Conan O'Brien's stint as host of The Tonight Show probably was doomed by NBC'S decision to have his predecessor, Jay Leno, host an hour-long variety show every weekday night at 10 p.m. The network's logic seemed to be reasonable enough. Leno was still popular with his loyal audience, and the production costs of a variety show are substantially lower than those of a dramatic series. O'Brien had developed a loyal following of his own over the course of 16 years as the host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. It was supposed to work out beautifully. Conan got the gig he had long coveted, Jay landed a prime-time show, and NBC would reap the profits during the 2009-2010 television season.
Of course, things did not work out that way.
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Year: 2011
Rated: R
Program Length: 89 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p
Languages: English DTS-HD 5.1 MA
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
The Program
Conan O'Brien's stint as host of The Tonight Show probably was doomed by NBC'S decision to have his predecessor, Jay Leno, host an hour-long variety show every weekday night at 10 p.m. The network's logic seemed to be reasonable enough. Leno was still popular with his loyal audience, and the production costs of a variety show are substantially lower than those of a dramatic series. O'Brien had developed a loyal following of his own over the course of 16 years as the host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. It was supposed to work out beautifully. Conan got the gig he had long coveted, Jay landed a prime-time show, and NBC would reap the profits during the 2009-2010 television season.
Of course, things did not work out that way. Leno's show was a critical and ratings failure. Those who did watch Leno apparently did not stay up to watch O'Brien, and the ratings of The Tonight Show were disappointing. By early 2010 NBC decided that Leno's prime-time show had to be cancelled. The network's executives decided that the solution was to air Leno's show after the late evening news, effectively pushing back the start of The Tonight Show to after midnight. The problem was that O'Brien refused to accept the new time slot. As he puts it, "I didn't want to be the first Tonight Show host to take The Tonight Show into the next day." NBC's solution was to give The Tonight Show back to Leno and O'Brien was bought out of his contract. There was once catch, however. In order to get the buyout, Conan had to agree that he would not do another show on television, radio or the Internet for six months.
Most of us would probably welcome the idea of getting a six-month paid vacation, but most of us are not Conan O'Brien. He was angry at the way he was treated by NBC, but he felt tortured by the fact that he would not be able to entertain audiences during his forced hiatus. It then occurred to him to take a show on the road. He was prohibited from appearing on television and radio, but there was nothing in his contract which prevented him from doing a live show in front of audiences. He and his staff then created the 32-city "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour." Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is aptly titled. This is an unvarnished look at the comedian, who is driven to perform and is demanding of his staff and himself. As the show goes into rehearsals O'Brien is plagued by self-doubt, and he constantly needs to be reassured that audiences will love him.
Once the tour gets underway, we see how Conan deals with the many demands which are made upon his time, both before and after his performances. He grows weary of the V.I.P. parties which he must attend after each show, where he has to shake hands and have his photograph taken with total strangers. He comes by his weariness honestly, as he throws himself into each performance with passion and energy. The tour is both exhausting and exhilarating, yet Conan never willingly turns down anyone. He hates the V.I.P. parties, yet he patiently greets and poses with all who ask. He continuously needles sidekick Andy Richter, yet it is clear that there is genuine affection in their relationship. Over the course of the tour a number of special guests show up, including Jim Carrey, Jack White, Jack Black, Eddie Vedder, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. One of the more fascinating members of Conan's entourage is his personal assistant, Sona Movsesian. At times Conan is extremely tough on her, yet she takes it all in stride and it is clear that she is invaluable to him.
Fans of Conan O'Brien are sure to find this film to be fascinating, and even casual viewers will find themselves engrossed by the film's humor and poignancy. Some of it also is disturbing, as Conan occasionally seems to revel in humiliating the people who work for him. However, he also has the self-awareness to realize that some of his actions in that regard border on the inappropriate. The film is a revealing and intimate insider's look at the world of show business, and it is slickly produced and directed. Potential viewers need to be aware of the fact that this is not a performance film. Although quite a few bits from the tour are shown, the actual performances are not the focal point.
The Video
The 1.78:1 1080p image is mostly excellent. The documentary genre has some inherent limitations, because certain scenes take place under conditions which are less than optimal. Nevertheless, the image generally is very sharp, with accurate colors and flesh tones and a welcome absence of digital anomalies. There is some occasional jitter in scenes which were shot with hand-held cameras, but this is not prevalent enough to be an annoyance.
The Audio
The lossless 5.1 DTA-HD MA audio is very good and does a fine job of recreating the atmosphere of live performances. Conan also happens to be a talented musician, and there are many musical numbers which are given an impressive soundstage. Dialogue is almost always clear and understandable, although there are a few moments where the volume drops and the viewer has to strain a bit to make out what is being said. Such instances occur rarely, however.
The Supplements
This Blu-ray disc includes an entertaining array of extras.
There is a commentary track with director Rodman Flender, Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, writer Mike Sweeney, and Conan's assistant Sona Movsesian.
A 14-minute interview of Conan O'Brien which was filmed for AT&T U-verse covers much of the same ground as the film, but with the benefit of Conan looking back and reflecting upon the tour. Also included are a few minutes of outtakes from the interview.
Ten deleted scenes add to the fun, including a complete bit from Conan's show where he talks about the "eight stages of mourning the loss of your talk show."
The one disappointment is that there is no opportunity to watch a complete show from the tour. Perhaps there are plans to release something along those lines separately.
Magnolia also has included trailers for Page One: Inside the New York Times; Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place; and Good Neighbors.
The Packaging
The single Blu-ray disc is packaged in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
The Final Analysis
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is an unflinching but entertaining look at a driven entertainer who simply cannot stop entertaining. The star is a fascinating person - Harvard-educated, wealthy and successful beyond his wildest dreams, yet surprisingly insecure and full of self-doubt. This documentary is a revelation which will be of interest even to those who are not regular viewers of Conan's television show.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specification by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: September 13, 2011
