The Last Laugh (2017)
87%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Last Laugh takes a fresh — and unexpectedly funny — approach to sensitive subject matter, uncovering affecting insights about the nature of comedy along the way
The Last Laugh” is a documentary that explores the role of humor in Jewish culture, particularly in the face of tragedy and oppression. While some critics found the film lacking in depth, others praised its thought-provoking analysis of the anatomy of a joke. One critic even called it a celebration of Jewish humor. As a non-critic, I found the film to be both hilarious and heart-wrenching. It’s amazing to see how humor can be used as a survival technique, but also how it has shaped our culture. The film doesn’t provide all the answers, but it raises important questions that are worth pondering. Overall, “The Last Laugh” is a must-see for anyone who loves a good laugh and wants to learn more about the power of humor.
Production Company(ies)
2.4.7. Films, France 3 Cinéma The Kennedy Marshall Company,
Distributor
Tangerine Entertainment
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 28m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 3, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2017
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, comedy, Holocaust, humor, Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Gilbert Gottfried, Alan Zweibel, Ferne Pearlstein, Robert Edwards, Amy Hobby, Anne Hubbell, Jan Warner, Tangerine Entertainment, box office, budget, MPAA rating, reviewed by Randy Myers, Sheila O’Malley, Peter Keough, Peter Rainer, Kenneth Turan, David Ehrlich, Steven Prokopy, Renee Firestone, taboo subjects, concentration camp survivors, ethical dilemmas, Jewish humor, survival technique, cultural identity, anatomy of a joke, sensitive subject matter, affecting insights, unexpected humor, fresh approach
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Sarah Silverman – Self
Carl Reiner – Self
Rob Reiner – Self
Gilbert Gottfried – Self
Alan Zweibel – Self
Ferne Pearlstein – Director, Writer, Producer
Robert Edwards – Writer, Producer
Amy Hobby – Producer
Anne Hubbell – Producer
Jan Warner – Producer
Renee Firestone – Self
Director(s)
Ferne Pearlstein
Writer(s)
Robert Edwards, Ferne Pearlstein
Producer(s)
Ferne Pearlstein, Robert Edwards, Amy Hobby, Anne Hubbell, Jan Warner
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (1)
An eye opener in every sense
November 20, 2017
Randy Myers
San Jose Mercury News
TOP CRITIC
In its own way, “The Last Laugh” is a celebration of Jewish humor, not just its importance as a survival technique, but also just how much it has shaped our culture.
November 20, 2017
Sheila O’Malley
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
Is laughter a palliative? The only weapon of the powerless? Perhaps significantly, the film ends in tears.
November 20, 2017
Peter Keough
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
At a time when many of us look to comedy to keep us sane, the question is especially pertinent, although the answers here aren’t especially penetrating.
March 24, 2017 | Rating: B-
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
At times haphazard but always involving …
March 16, 2017
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Ferne Pearlstein’s The Last Laugh is a rather safe and genteel documentary about the limits of humor (especially as they pertain to the Holocaust), but it opens with a subtly provocative sequence of events that’s hard to shake.
March 9, 2017 | Rating: B-
David Ehrlich
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
Director Pearlstein makes it easy on us to decide by making the film both hilarious and thought-provoking.
April 28, 2020
Steven Prokopy
Third Coast Review
Renee Firestone, a Holocaust survivor now 93-years-old, captures the essence of The Last Laugh, Pearlstein’s documentary on the humor coming out of the horror during World War II.
August 16, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Brigid Presecky
FF2 Media
The Last Laugh doesn’t have many answers. But the questions it raises are worth their own sake.
December 27, 2018 | Rating: B+
Nathanael Hood
Audiences Everywhere
The Last Laugh is thought provoking in its analysis of both the cultural identity of the Jewish people and the anatomy of a joke.
November 1, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Sean Mulvihill
FanboyNation.com
Pearlstein asks the big questions, and sometimes the answer is a tear, sometimes a laugh, and always profound.
February 3, 2018
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
Hammer to Nail
What upends The Last Laugh is that the scenes with Firestone, which take up a good percentage of the screen time, follow the template of scores, if not hundreds, of Holocaust-survivor documentaries.
November 20, 2017
Betsy Sherman
Arts Fuse…
Plot
A group of popular students play a cruel prank on a shy nerd resulting in a terrible accident. Years later a reunion is held where each of the students face a stalker killer who may be the same nerd out for revenge.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mel Brooks and Sarah Silverman are among the comedians interviewed in the documentary.
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