Gilbert

Little is known outside of comedy circles about the real life of iconic jokester Gilbert Gottfried -- until now. Movie goers can now discover what the wonderfully funny man behind the squinty eyes and grating voice is really like in the new documentary by Neil Berkeley "Gilbert."

Life on the road can be equally tough for a stand-up comic as any traveling salesman or business person. Even if you're a name comic like Gottfried, if you want to continue doing what you originally set out to do, which is make people laugh, and hope that it pays the bills, you'll find yourself still in the darkest dungeon-esque green rooms, playing little towns in the middle of nowhere. "Gilbert" encapsulates this life for Gottfried, while humanizing him.

"Gilbert" honors Gottfried with interviews from A-list comics, including, and certainly not limited to, Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, Judy Gold, Dave Atell, Penn Jillette
and more. Well edited and nicely presented story-telling, nothing comes up short on delivery. Yes, it addresses Gottfried's stage persona, which, spoiler alert, is indeed, a character. One might be shocked or pleasantly surprised to discover that not only does he have a loving relationship with his wife and kids, but also comes from a very loving family. Yes, it addresses all the things "Gilbert" knows you're going to ask about: his early days in comedy, his stage persona, the leap from almost no-naughty humor to 100 percent blue humor; his "too soon" 9/11 joke at the Hugh Hefner Roast (Gottfried is an NYC native), Disney's Iago, his highly successful comedy pod-cast domination, and his fall out as the Insurance mascot of Aflac.

I especially loved the correlation "Gilbert" makes with Gottfried's performance at St. Jude Medical Center Fundraiser for kids with cancer, and his own journey helping his sister who is going through chemo during the filming of the documentary.

Here's where "Gilbert" may connect with the LGBT audiences -- Gottfried makes no apologies about who he is. He is his own person, and has never chosen to conform to what the public tells him he should be. He uses comedy to cope with demons in his past, but empowers himself through laughter. "Gilbert" captures all of this and more.

"Gilbert"
A new documentary about Gilbert Gottfried
Directed by Neil Berkeley