Image Credit: Netflix
If your friend is sincerely making a documentary about you, that should be a testament to your character. For that dude to be Martin Short, it’s a testament to his character that he surpasses many of the characters he’s played in his long career. That’s what director and longtime friend Lawrence Kasdan says in his doc Marty, Life is Short. What could have been seen as either a vanity project or a glorified portrait is anything but. Rather, it’s a thoughtful and heartfelt celebration of both an underrated and beloved character actor and comedian and a grounded reflection on a man whose mantra is to find joy in despair.
The film begins with a joke in which Martin sits down for a conversation with Kasdan and says, “This is going to be one of those horrible disgusting things that I don’t promote.” Then there was the mockery of Kasdan and Marty, who had to pretend to have no personal connection to the project. But suffice it to say that his personalization works in the film’s favor and, at the same time, to its detriment.
Like many prolific documents, Life Is Short details the 76-year-old Canadian entertainer’s expansive career. In particular, Kasdan highlighted the early part of his career. Starting out in an improv troupe, he starred in the Canadian sketch show SCTV, followed by a short stint on SNL before taping it at the same time. Then moving into films with Three Amigos and Innerspace, then to Broadway with The Goodbye Girl and a Tony Award-winning performance in Little Me. However, he suffered several losses during his upbringing: his eldest brother, David, died in a car accident when he was 12. His mother, Olive, died of cancer when he was 18, and then two years later, when he was 20, his father died. Yet throughout his run, his reliance on building a career and providing happiness makes for a gripping story. His stories of creating iconic sketch characters ranging from Wheel of Fortune superfan Ed Grimley to unsophisticated interviewer Jiminy Glick tell us that as he’s aged, his charisma and comedic light remain so timeless.
On the positive side, Kasdan’s familiarity with other subjects gives a clear account of the impact the short had on him. Through conversations with Short’s industry friends, ranging from his SCTV colleagues – Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin and the late Catherine O’Hara – to his frequent co-star – Steve Martin – and even close friends – Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg – you get a sense of the guarantee of the Doctor’s existence, as that is the seed of happiness that keeps him as happy as the legends he has entertained throughout his career.
For example, O’Hara shared that she and her husband, Bo Welch, went to marriage counseling and pointed to Martin and his late wife, Nancy Dolman, as the picture of health. Her response was, “I can’t tell you how many couples have told me this.” It is with them that we see many of these stars, not necessarily discussing about someone they just respect, but discussing about a friend whom they hold near and dear to their hearts. There’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing video footage of O’Hara talking, passionately and humorously. His passing was further saddened by the film’s closing “In Loving Memory of” caption, which was shared with Short’s late daughter, Katharine Elizabeth Short.
Part of the charm of Life Is Short comes from the stories of Short’s star-studded friends who reflect on fond memories spent with him, either through working with him on set on a project or hanging out with him and Nancy at their Snug Harbor cabin in Ontario. There, they hosted family gatherings, either in the summer or at annual Christmas celebrations. The archival footage simply highlights that the joyous, upbeat personality he brings to the stage is his origin off the stage. Whether it’s chatting lovingly with his wife Nora or entertaining your friend’s little kids because they love being around him more than their mom and dad – like a non-blood-related uncle who you just love being around. It’s exceptionally endearing to see not only that his happiness was contagious among his friends, but also that his charisma was simply Marty being Marty. On one hand, it gives a FOMO because these are those “celebrity parties” you can only dream of attending, but it also has the same warm aura of family and friend cookouts.
The film, at its core, beautifully reflects how important his late wife, Nancy Dolman, was to the actor and perhaps his entire existence. Through Short and others’ stories and footage, it was clear that they were two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly. Besides being such a cheerful artist, their marriage was perfect, and their love was excellent. You can feel the intense love felt in their conversations through the stories and video footage, which made her death from ovarian cancer in 2010 even more tragic.
Even though it tries to cover most of Short’s work while Nancy was still alive, the picture surpasses her 2010 work, only skimming the surface of her grief and hardship. It’s just something you can feel, like Kasdan said, “We don’t have to get into this if you don’t want to,” which feels more in service of the subject and his privacy than all the broader aspects of his life to date. What I remember around 2010 was the praise Short received in 2012 for his voice acting in Madagascar 3 and Frankenweenie, his first time working on Nancy since Nancy passed away. By the time the document reaches that deadline, it is very close to being finished.
Overall, despite being traditional, Marty, life is short It’s a solid, heartfelt portrait of a showman who, despite the pain of countless personal losses, continues to make them laugh. Seriously, @God, take all the pain this lovely, cheerful man has endured and give it to Donald Trump.
