WELL, EXCUSE HIM (STEVE (martin) A DOCUMENTARY IN TWO PIECES)

© Apple TV+

"Overnight success is a fallacy," Mark Twain once stated.

"It is preceded by a great deal of preparation.

"Ask any successful person how they came to this point in their lives and they will have a story to tell."

Alternatively, you could always watch Morgan Neville's Apple TV+ doc 'STEVE (martin) A documentary in two pieces' to see how right Twain was.

© United Artists/MGM

For six decades, Martin has pretty much been at the top of the American comedy tree.

Yes, there have been ups and downs during that time but even when there have been failures his popularity has endured.

His act has often tended to flit between playing the idiot savant or sending up narcissistic showbiz assholes.

Neville's documentary, however, provides some insight into the real Steve Martin and the forces that have shaped his comedy.

© Apple TV+

The 78 year old is remarkably candid in the documentary - opening up about the hard work, his self doubt, struggles with anxiety and most fascinatingly, his struggle to please his father.

Split into two parts entitled 'Then' and 'Now', the first installment charts his slow rise from Disneyland entertainer to an adored stand up on the cusp of a huge Hollywood career.

'Now' focuses on where he is today in his seventies - a husband and dad with a hit TV show 'Only Murders In The Building' and a new stand-up comedy partner, Martin Short.

There's some reflection on the movie career between 'Then' and 'Now' - a lot of it self-critical.

© Apple TV+

His obsession with, extensive knowledge of and collection of great American art also falls under the spotlight.

The overall impression is of a comedian who struggled with himself even at the height of his popularity but who  for the first time in his life now feels comfortable in his skin.

"My whole life is backwards," he muses at one point to Neville.

"How did I go from riddled with anxiety in my thirties to age 75 and really happy? How did this happen?"

© Tri-Star Pictures

It helps that he has Neville on board to document it all.

Neville is no stranger to documenting celebrity, giving us the Oscar winning backing singer documentary '20 Feet From Stardom,' the wonderful Mister Rogers doc 'Would You Be My Neighbor?', the Orson Welles tale 'They'll Love Me When I'm Dead' and the acclaimed 'Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain'. 

Here he gets under the skin of Martin with the help of his wife Anne Stringfield, as well as Martin Short, Tina Fey, Eric Idle, John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

But it is Martin who provides the most interesting insights - particularly around his perceptions of a father who showed little affection, declaring after seeing 'The Jerk' that his son was no Charlie Chaplin.

© Paramount Pictures

As the documentary miniseries progresses his perceptions of his father shift like his perception of his favourite Edward Hopper painting.

Another touching moment sees Martin well up as he recalls his friend John Candy's fabulous work as Del in John Hughes' 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' - unquestionably both actors' best film.

'STEVE (martin) A documentary in two pieces' is humorous, poignant, irreverent, surprising, affectionate and not hagiographic.

It's everything a documentary of this kind should be.

('STEVE (martin) A documentary in two pieces' was made available for streaming on Apple TV+ on March 29, 2024)