About a decade ago, in one of the stupidest exposes ever, a British television program claimed that Eddie Izzard was committing fraud on the public by including older material in his latest stand-up show. It’s nearly impossible to believe that “the public” in question, who would have been stand-up comedy fans familiar with the practice of integrating new and old material, felt they were being defrauded. It was reported that many of the bits he did in his live show were available on the video of his previous show. So?
Watching a film of a live performance and catching the performance live do not provide the same experience. Fans may see a performer do the exact same act several times and find that there’s no such thing as “exact same”—the performer bringing different nuances and new material, constantly refreshing and refining. What seems like a molehill became a mountain in 2000, and Izzard stopped performing stand-up for three years. He continued acting in films (e.g., Ocean’s 12), television, and on stage and was often seen on talk shows.
Believe - The Eddie Izzard Story is interwoven with old photographs and home movies, as well as videos of some of Izzard’s early performances. What we see in this documentary is an affecting story of a young man who worked incredibly hard to become a successful performer. From his early days as a street performer when he did an escape act, rode a unicycle, and did skits with a partner, through his triumphant return to the stage, we learn exactly how grueling a comic’s life can be. If you think that comedians do their time in small, local clubs and work their way up to comedy festivals, big venues, and The Tonight Show, you couldn’t be more mistaken. The amount of labor, time, and money expended to become successful is staggering. But, first, the talent has to be there.
In publicity, Izzard is referred to as “gender bending.” The fact is that he is a transvestite who outed himself. He is straight and does a basically straight set, with the difference being he is a man wearing lots of eye-shadow, false lashes, and a dress. His comedy is so well written and presented that audience members may actually forget he’s dressed like a woman, or perhaps accept it as part of the person he is. Not always in dresses—he has a collection of flashily dramatic suits—Izzard does favor high heels. Very high. But Izzard is not feminine; he is a man in women’s attire. As a member of the Facebook group “I stay in my pajamas until I absolutely HAVE to get dressed,” I appreciate Izzard’s preference to work wearing what’s comfortable for him.
At the close of the documentary we learn that on September 15, 2009, Izzard completed 43 marathons in 51 days to raise money for charity. We are not surprised since we have already witnessed his manic drive to succeed, for surely he kept going when many would have rung down the curtain.
Yes, Eddie did make it to Wembley Arena. To see how that turned out, one must get Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley.
Excerpted from blogcritics.org, DVD Review: Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story
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