Ferne Pearlstein's The Last Laugh is a rather safe and genteel documentary about the limits of humor (especially as they pertain to the Holocaust), but it opens with a subtly provocative sequence of events that's hard to shake.
When it floats away from its star talent, The Last Laugh becomes a viciously humane work, on a journey as vigorous as any contemplated by D.A. Pennebaker and his sort.
Intriguing in that it lays out the case that we can now make jokes about the Holocaust and lets the viewers decide for themselves whether they've made the point.
The Last Laugh is a multifaceted and extremely thought-provoking documentary about the place of comedy in contending with the Jewish genocide during WWII.
Part of the film's charm is in its reluctance to sit on one side of the fence, and it instead acknowledges the plurality of experiences and interpretations.
At a time when many of us look to comedy to keep us sane, the question is especially pertinent, although the answers here aren't especially penetrating.
