Plot: After being fired from his own show, Dan Harmon takes his podcast ‘Harmontown’ on a tour across the country.
In the beginning of Harmontown director Neil Berkeley asks Dan Harmon’s friends and peers the question “Who is Dan Harmon?” As the responses of Joel McHale, Jack Black, Jim Rash, Sarah Silverman, Allison Brie, and more flashed up on the screen, I thought about my reply to those who ask me the same question: “The comedic genius who created Community.”
Once I started getting deeper into the film, I realized that my answer rings true to the fans who have only really grasped Harmon’s geeky persona behind a Community script. Not that there’s anything wrong with having this cognizance, it’s just not very deep, raw, or uncensored. I’m not sure if the Harmontown podcast or this film is his way of giving fans that in-depth perspective, but it certainly did it’s job. Harmon’s personality outside of his comedy is a lot to take in and in some cases, a little bit hard to swallow.
To fans who are reading this – don’t worry, this isn’t that type of documentary. Harmon doesn’t go to each city throwing tirades and acting like a dick to everyone around him. In fact, for the majority of the movie, he comes off as a big teddy bear. He’s down to earth, friendly, spontaneous, and very humorous. What was even more comforting was that this is the same attitude he has toward his fans. I can’t name many famous people who are willing to wait all night for every fan to have their merchandise signed.
Speaking of his fans, the best parts of the movie where we really got to see Harmon support or console his fans in need. One of my favorite moments in the film is when a girl approached to Harmon after a show and thanked him for creating Abed (Community character played by Danny Pudi) because it helped her accept her recent Asperger’s diagnosis. Throughout the entire movie, many made the comment that Harmon cares about making other people happy. This is a moment that really emphasized the validity of this statement. He handled the girl’s admission with such grace and it was a truly heartwarming to watch. Not going to lie, I did tear up a little bit.
However, what’s particularly compelling to me is that Harmon’s desire to make other people happy is also the root of some of his more self-destructive behavior. Aside from the big fight Harmon had with his girlfriend Erin McCarthy, the most cringe-worthy moment is when Harmon gets really drunk at a show from drinking too much moonshine. The next day, he and his co-host Jeff spend a lot of time editing out his clumsiness to which Harmon replied “Well, the people who will there will be in on what really happened.” This was really troubling for me as it was the scene that reinforced the degree to Harmon’s perfectionism when it comes to his work. As soon as something goes wrong, Harmon breaks down and a little bit of chaos ensues. As a fellow creative type, I understand that frustration and because of that connection, I found myself wishing I was in those moments of self-doubt to say “I get it” or “You’re doing a great job, hang in there.”
What I also found intriguing was the distinct similarities and differences between Harmon and the show’s Dungeons and Dragon master, Spencer. Towards the end of the movie, Harmon makes a comment where he deems himself the villain and Spencer the hero. While this may be due to Spencer’s humbleness, I didn’t get the impression that either of them understood how similar they really were. I also remember Berkley making a point about how Harmon surrounds himself with people who are just like him, which is so true in the case of Spencer and really all of Harmon’s fans. They all deal with demons just like he does, and I really hope Harmon took that away and internalized it when he and Berkley finished this project.
In the beginning of this review, I mentioned what my response was to the question “Who is Dan Harmon?” I think now that I’ve seen this film, I have multiple answers to that question. Harmon is still a comedic genius(and probably will be forever), but he’s also a caring, loveable person, who lets his work get the best of him at times. I really hope people see this and understand that he’s not this jerk the media (or Chevy Chase) pegs him out to be. He’s really just a guy who wants to help people through his work. At the end of the day, is there really a fault in that?
Rating: 8 out of 10
Harmontown will be released on October 3rd both in theaters and Video on Demand.
