Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop examines the anatomy of a goofball. It documents the tour Conan and his people embarked upon following his departure from a brief tenure hosting The Tonight Show, and in so doing presents an intimate look at an individual who is normally fairly private. Stories float around constantly about what Conan is like behind the scenes on his talk shows—that he’s a bit of a bully to his staff, that he’s extremely hard on himself and ambitious—but allowing this side of his character to be seen publicly marked something of a turning point for the late night host.
Anyone who was watching those Tonight Show episodes where Conan’s departure had become imminent must surely agree that when addressing his frustrations with NBC and how the entire debacle had transpired, he was never more funny. Continuing these motifs of sad clowns and serious comedians, we see in the documentary the toll this ordeal took on Conan: off-stage he acts incredibly sarcastic and almost depressingly negative, but on-stage he finds a way to channel it into a weird kind of optimistic punk rock attitude, becoming empowered by the reminder that he still has an audience who adores him and fans that will follow him across the country. It may not be that surprising a documentary, but as a chronicle of one of the most memorable cross-country comedy tours it’s full of energy and joy.
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