Mr. Saturday Night

"Don't get me started" on this savvy, perceptive and poignant dramatic comedy. Like 61*, this was a labor of love for co-writer, director and star Billy Crystal, who fleshes out one of his signature characters, old school comedian Buddy Young, Jr.--a public success, but private failure. 1992's Mr. Saturday Night charts Young's rise, fall, and redemption with the people he has hurt on the way up (and down). The exceptional ensemble includes David Paymer in his Oscar-nominated role as Young's long-suffering brother and manager, Julie Warner as Young's even longer-suffering wife, and, briefly, Helen Hunt as an aspiring agent (with Jerry Lewis contributing a nifty cameo). Some of the comedy stings (Young's daughter is hurt by Young's jokes about her in his routine) and some of the drama draws blood, as long-simmering resentments and jealousies between the Young brothers boil over. Although Crystal strains for a happy ending, the stand-up sequences themselves are pitch perfect, from the young Buddy's exuberance at "killing" his audience to the embittered and elderly Buddy bombing before a decrepit retirement home audience. In this extras-laden DVD release, Crystal hilariously dominates the audio commentary he recorded with Paymer. The disc also contains deleted scenes, bloopers, and segments about the origins of Buddy Young, the film's make-up and a 25-minute "making of." Presented in widescreen, this edition is a vast improvement on the previously-released 1998 pan-and-scan version. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)