Steve Martin Looks Back, and Other First-Quarter 2024 Reviews

For 50 years, Steve Martin has been different things to different people: For those of a certain age, he was a “wild and crazy” standup comedian, whose shows and albums broke records in the late 1970s. To others, he’s the star of classic films like The Jerk, Three Amigos!, Roxanne, and All of Me. To others, he’s the star of family-friendly movies like Parenthood, Father of the Bride, and Cheaper by the Dozen. To others, he’s a sophisticated writer of New Yorker articles. To others, he’s a musician and composer, who collaborated with Edie Brickell on the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Bright Star. And to others, he’s the co-creator and star, alongside Martin Short and Selena Gomez, of the Hulu TV show Only Murders in the Building. 

Suffice it to say, the man has invented and reinvented and reinvented himself multiple times throughout his career, adapting to the highs and lows — which is why today, he probably has fans of all ages.

However you know Steve Martin, you’re likely to know him a little better after watching Steve! (martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces, which premieres on Apple TV+ this week. Directed by Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and the Oscar-winning 20 Feet from Stardom), the roughly three-hour doc is broken into two parts: “Then,” which traces Martin’s rise through the standup circuit, and “Now,” which documents many things since then.

As Martin himself notes, his standup career has a very clear story arc, with a beginning, middle, and end. His film career is more anecdotal. And that’s just one of the ways in which the two parts differ — one has more of a narrative and the other jumps around a bit. 

“Then” is told mostly through archival clips and voice-over interviews from Martin and his friends and colleagues. It shows how Martin struggled to figure out his act and persona, but how, when he did, his brand of “silly” reinvented comedy, propelling Martin to sold-out headliner status, and making him a bigger draw than some rock acts of the day — before he walked away from the stage in 1980 to pursue a film career. (Much of this will be familiar to anyone who’s read Martin’s memoir, Born Standing Up.)

“Now” is the more conventional of the two parts, with Neville’s camera capturing Martin at work and play, looking back on his life and career, in between brief film clips and complimentary remarks from friends and family members such as Jerry Seinfeld, Lorne Michaels, Eric Idle, Tina Fey, and of course, Short, with whom Martin clearly shares a lot of genuine affection. The scenes where these two are working on jokes or riding bikes or performing or just hanging out are warm and wonderful.

The problem with the film, though, aside from the two parts each being about 10–15 minutes too long, is that much of it doesn’t exactly feel revelatory. Martin talks about how his father was unsupportive and could be cruel, and how that fueled Martin’s anxiety and likely resulted in him being unable to develop many close relationships. The “sad clown” who doubts his talent and has trouble connecting with others is a well-trod path, so Martin’s story could have used a different “take” — a more creative one like the one employed in the Michael J. Fox doc Still, perhaps.

The film also is just too self-aware. Martin is charming, as always, and he’s a willing participant (he says he was interested in making the movie so he could figure out “how did this happen?”), but he’s almost too concerned with the camera and what it’s recording — for example, in a bit where Martin tries on his jacket and sombrero from Three Amigos! seemingly just because it’s there and the camera is on. Martin has always been a bit meta, but his self-conscious treatment of Neville and his frequent acknowledgment that he’s getting the documentary treatment is a bit distracting.

Still, there are multiple authentic glimpses of the man behind the act. When Martin tears up talking about his father late in “Now,” it’s undeniably touching. And it’s clear from their interactions that Short is more than just a comic foil, and more than just a friend, he’s a career lifeline. Martin even tells Seinfeld that if anything happened to Marty, he’d stop performing. Awwwwww …

So, excuuuuuse me if I say I enjoyed watching Steve the man, but that Steve! the movie didn’t give me happy feet. It’s an often entertaining film, but it could have been better. So I’m giving it a B.

Catching up on the Rest of Q1

It was a rather lackluster first quarter of 2024. I purposely skipped multiple movies (no, I didn’t see Dune: Part Two. Zero interest), and those I did see were generally fine — or worse. So to catch up, here’s a quick look at the other new films I saw over the last three months.

6. One Life (theater). It’s a real shame Bleecker Street barely promoted this film, if it did any promotion at all, because One Life is an understated and very moving release that had me shedding tears at the end — for perhaps obvious reasons, but still — and is worth seeing. Anthony Hopkins is his usual excellent self in the role of Nicholas Winton, who, in the early days of World War II, led an effort that saved nearly 670 Jewish children and then, in 1987, was reunited with many of them live on air during the taping of a TV show. (It’s a true story, by the way.) While not a great movie — there’s not much context given for what is motivating young Nicky, for example — I appreciated that this one doesn’t overdo the sentiment and doesn’t feel a need to show much brutality by the Nazis, either. We’ve seen enough of that before. The key to the movie’s success is Hopkins, whose performance effectively portrays the humanity and the humility of a man who did more than his share, and who, all those years later, still regrets that he wasn’t able to do more. Grade: B

5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (theater). Read my review here. Grade: C

4. Road House (theater). Read my review here. Grade: C–

3. Bob Marley: One Love (theater). Is this love that I’m feeling? Nope. One Love is a fine, but not inspiring, biopic about three pivotal years in the life of the reggae singer, during which an assassination attempt caused him to reevaluate his life, and during which he recorded the album Exodus. I appreciated that the film was focused and didn’t try to tell Bob’s full life story, but I just never got into it enough to enjoy it. Grade B–

2. Argylle (theater). Overlong by a half hour, overstuffed with actors/characters, and generally pretty dumb (especially the scene where Bryce Dallas Howard “ice skates”), Argylle is underwhelming and disappointing, and not worthy of much commentary. Among this movie’s crimes is that it makes insulting use of the new Beatles song, and the big twist around which the movie is marketed is a giant meh. Just about the only redeeming thing about this movie is the ridiculously over-the-top opening scene, which is a lot of fun. But it’s all downhill from there. Grade: D

1. Mean Girls (theater). This film is more of an update of the original with songs thrown in than a full adaptation of the musical, which is probably for the best. Sure, the first half is a bit rough, but once it settles in — somewhere around “Revenge Party” — the film becomes a worthwhile watch. I just wish the filmmakers didn’t ruin “I’d Rather Be Me,” the Broadway show’s high point. On the other hand, Renee Rapp’s “Someone Gets Hurt” is one of the movie’s highlights, with legit pop-music single appeal. And it must be said that while Regina is the Queen Bee, Rapp is just on another level from the other Plastics, almost too good in the role (which she played on Broadway), which makes this a bit of an uneven movie. It’s also worth noting that Tina Fey gives herself the film’s biggest laugh by far when she almost bursts into song during the assembly scene, but stops herself. All told, I enjoyed this movie more than I was expecting to and would actually recommend it. No regrets. Grade: B