When Comedy Went to School
International Film Circuit | Release Date: July 31, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
65
NPRElla TaylorAug 2, 2013
For the charming but skin-deep documentary When Comedy Went to School, filmmakers Mevlut Akkaya and Ron Frank gained enviable access to pioneer stars of Borscht Belt standup. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comDonald LiebensonOct 11, 2013
Does not quite make the grade. For every great joke, hilarious anecdote, and keen insight, there are cringe-worthy dramatizations, narrative groaners. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAug 15, 2013
For a disorganized film that has trouble deciding what it's about, When Comedy Went to School can be a lot of fun. Read full review
60
VarietyRonnie ScheibAug 1, 2013
Ron Frank and Melvut Akkaya’s docu isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but as a brief history of the Catskill resorts, liberally laced with well-edited archival promos, songs, homemovies and extended excerpts from routines by Jewish comics who performed there, it consistently entertains. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierAug 1, 2013
Think you know all about comedy? This thorough, funny and thoroughly funny chronicle of the Catskills Mountains resorts — that is, the Borscht belt — will still teach you a thing or two. Read full review
50
Washington PostStephanie MerryOct 10, 2013
The movie doesn’t offer much more than fleeting and superficial pleasures. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoOct 3, 2013
As a grab bag of reminiscences by veteran funny people, bolstered with richly entertaining performance footage, it's boffo. Read full review
50
New York PostLou LumenickAug 2, 2013
Superficial and hokey yet still oddly endearing. Read full review
50
The New York TimesNicole HerringtonJul 30, 2013
Fortunately for the filmmakers, most of the comedians interviewed here — Jerry Stiller, Jackie Mason, Jerry Lewis and many other (mostly male) voices — provide lighthearted remembrances to elevate this poorly executed documentary. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineWes GreeneJul 26, 2013
It confuses nostalgia for earth-shaking cultural upheaval, never really expounding on the actual effect of the Borscht Belt circuit's influence. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubScott MacDonaldJul 31, 2013
Not all styles of humor stand the test of time, and the documentary When Comedy Went To School, about the Borscht Belt stand-ups who worked the Catskills during the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, helplessly drives the point home. Read full review
40
Time OutAndrew SchenkerJul 30, 2013
What’s missing is the onstage archival footage that would show us why this humor mattered in the first place—there are only a handful of five-second snippets. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 19, 2013
A documentary about comedy needs to be funny. The old guys, as noted, have definitely lost a lot off their collective fastball. Read full review
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