Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

Talk show devotees know about the brouhaha that erupted when NBC tried to revise the previous rearrangement of its late-night schedule, in which Conan O'Brien replaced Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show. Reluctant to lose Leno, the network offered him a primetime talk show, but when it failed and O'Brien's ratings slumped, the executives tried to bring Leno back and move O'Brien to a later hour. When O'Brien refused, protracted negotiations led to his departure with a big cash settlement and a stipulation that he stay off the tube for six months—so he cobbled together a live touring show. Rodman Flender's documentary follows O'Brien and his crew—writing, rehearsing, and traveling from one venue to another, joined along the way by surprise guest stars like Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart. The result is a fascinating, often very funny, and sometimes quite insightful inside look at the aftermath of a famous television debacle, as well as a revealing, not always flattering, portrait of a star struggling to channel his anger and anxiety in a positive direction. True to the title, O'Brien certainly does appear to be a driven, intense personality, throwing himself completely into whatever he's doing, both onstage and off—and sometimes taking out his frustration on those around him. Shot for the most part on the fly and scrappily edited, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop nonetheless serves as a clever coda to one of the tawdrier episodes in recent broadcast history. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary (by director Rodman Flender and participants Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, Mike Sweeney and Sona Movsesian), additional scenes (42 min.), an interview with Conan O'Brien (15 min.), interview outtakes (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an engaging doc.] (F. Swietek)