The Martin Short era on Saturday Night Live came shortly after Eddie Murphy had brought the sketch program back from the dead. Both Short and Murphy made magic by creating memorable characters and doing inventive imitations, but Murphy’s comedy felt like an evolution of the stand-up storytelling style perfected by Richard Pryor. On the other hand, Short’s characters and caricatures were influenced by the mythology of mid-century Hollywood and the ghosts of Broadway. Part experimental actor, part hyperactive theater kid, Short’s unique blend of sensibilities takes the spotlight in a new Netflix documentary. The movie chronicles Short’s rise to acclaim in television, film, and on stage, even as it documents the comedian’s struggles with grief and countless professional failures.
Lawrence Kasdan’s documentary Marty, Life Is Short traces Martin Short’s five-decade career from the Toronto comedy scene to Hollywood stardom. The comedian chats with Kasdan — a longtime friend, the writer-director of The Big Chill, and the writer of Raiders of the Lost Ark — to reflect on a life shaped by tragedy and joy in equal measure. When Short was 12, his eldest brother David was killed in a car accident. Both of his parents died before Short turned 20. The film also chronicles the love story between Short and Nancy Dolman, his wife of 36 years who died from ovarian cancer in 2010. It’s common for comedians to come from dangerous or dark backgrounds, and Short’s story follows the familiar pattern of a funny man channeling his grief into his creative work. The story of Short as a family man brings a quiet human thread to the comedian’s over-the-top characters and performances, and it’s one of the film’s biggest strengths.
The movie follows Short’s breakout success on SCTV and Saturday Night Live, where he created indelible characters like the super nerd Ed Grimley and the defensive lawyer Nathan Thurm. It follows him through scene-stealing film roles, legendary box office flops (including 1994’s Clifford, where he played a 10-year-old boy), a Tony-winning Broadway run in Little Me, and his 21st-century resurgence with Only Murders in the Building and sold-out comedy tours with Steve Martin.
Kasdan captures Short’s domestic side including summers at a lakehouse and raising three adopted children. The director edits Short’s never-before-seen home movies which feature houseguests like Tom Hanks and his family, SNL’s Lorne Michaels, Eugene Levy, and the late Catherine O’Hara. During their many chats for the film, Kasdan casually captures Short in the backseats of cars on the way to various events, or just making a pot of coffee first thing in the morning. Short looks directly into the camera when addressing Kasdan. He’s hilarious and can’t help improvising little routines, but Short is also forthright about the details of his work and his life.
The comedian is also open and almost egoless about how much of his career has been made up of failures, missed opportunities, misfires and bad breaks. At one point Short relays a period in New York where every time he went to ride the subway he’d arrive just as the train left the terminal. He shared the anecdote as a metaphor for his stalled early career. Eddie Murphy joined the Saturday Night Live cast when he was 19 years old. Short didn’t break through on SNL until he was 34. His first major film role found him cast alongside Steve Martin and Chevy Chase in The Three Amigos. It’s a cult favorite today, but the movie was a box office flop in 1986. Short has endured all these setbacks through his love for the creative process and a slightly paranoid understanding that showbiz is a failure industry punctuated by great successes. Marty, Life Is Short gives audiences wins and losses, spotlit celebrations and quiet lessons, and lots of laughs.
Marty, Life Is Short is streaming on Netflix.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.