It's Funny Because It's True

I have been "aware" of comedian Tig Notaro for a while. I'd certainly seen a snippet or two from her act, though never an entire set. It's geeky, but the thing that pushed her fully onto my radar was when she began appearing regularly on Star Trek: Discovery. (Her character is a delightfully acerbic ingredient in the meal.)

I had planned to seek out some of her stand-up specials to watch, but it turned out that the thing I found first was the 2015 documentary Tig, on Netflix. It chronicles, frankly, the reason most people would probably have heard of her: her diagnosis with breast cancer and the double mastectomy that followed. After a nightmarish year that also included the death of her mother, she got up on stage at a famous Los Angeles venue and performed a shockingly honest comedy set loaded with gallows humor. Already beloved among comedians, it made Notaro virtual royalty among them.

And when you watch Tig, you very quickly come to understand why. I already knew from what I'd seen of Tig Notaro that her delivery was so deadpan and distinct that no one is quite like her. (It might be tempting to think of Steven Wright, but he was making jokes about golf pencils while she found a way to make cancer funny.) The documentary really reveals the full extent of her genius, though, in just how strong the juxtapositions are throughout. One moment, Tig is giving an interview to the filmmakers about just how much her mother meant to her -- an emotional, tear-jerking interview -- and the next moment, you get a 20-second clip from her act that still manages to make you laugh despite the tonal whiplash.

Still, Tig is a rather difficult documentary to watch. Tig Notaro does get back up every time life knocks her down, and that is powerful. But wow, does life keep knocking her down. The documentary goes on well past her original cancer diagnosis, only to reveal there are more pitfalls in store. The tone does manage to be triumphant in the end, I think... but not so much along the way.

Certainly, there is inspiration to be found here: this is a movie about a person I could hope to be more like. Every now and then, you also get passing insight into the mind of a comedian and what goes into creating stand-up comedy. Nevertheless, this is paradoxically one of the lightest hard-to-take movies you might ever watch. I liked it a lot, and would give it a B+... though I can't say with confidence that that means I'd recommend it.