Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald Review: A Thoughtful Tribute That Falls Short of a Definitive Portrait

Norm MacDonald, the subject of Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald, was a comedian mainstream audiences never fully embraced during his heyday. MacDonald was famously fired from Saturday Night Live, and an NBC executive reportedly tried to force Conan O’Brien to stop booking him on his The Tonight Show. He was a funny man who loved to take his time, allowing the silence to linger just long enough for audiences to catch up to the joke.

Netflix‘s streaming documentary Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald shows how smaller audiences like mine, those with a discerning taste for the irreverent, sustained MacDonald’s work while others gradually caught on. As his audience grew, the comedian’s best jokes began circulating widely, spreading faster than the pandemic. The documentary’s creative narrative structure moves between social media platforms and YouTube clips to highlight MacDonald’s greatest hits.

What is Netflix’s Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald about?

We’re talking about the Moth Joke (though it should be noted that this was Colin Quinn’s joke, which MacDonald was forced to tell because of a canceled guest, but made wholly his own), gently heckling Courtney Thorne-Smith about her upcoming Carrot Top movie by suggesting that Chairman of the Board should be spelled “Bored,” and, of course, the relentless O.J. Simpson jokes that cost him his Weekend Update hosting gig.

Yet, for me, his joke about his wife being in a coma, which is more feminist than people care to admit, remains the greatest joke ever told and stands the test of time. This is the kind of joke that feels lowbrow, especially when MacDonald punctuated it with “That’s modern medicine for you,” a surprisingly feminist observation about the male ego. Interviews with his former head writer, Jim Downey, and clips from late-night segments on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien highlight these points in practical terms.

Veteran funnyman Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, The King of Staten Island) directs and executive produces the film, doing a wonderful job of highlighting MacDonald’s brilliance while showing why a generation of fans has kept his work alive on social media. Full of deadpan wit, absurdism, and deliberately subversive comedy, MacDonald’s anti-humor was legendary among his peers, but, like some great artists, the masses didn’t fully appreciate it until decades later.

Netflix’s Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald Review

You also learn about Norm’s personal life, including his humble Canadian upbringing, his older father, and the conflicting stories surrounding his education. In the documentary, this shows the myth and the legend that I am not sure even Apatow fully understands. Yet there he was, dissecting the existential absurdity of popular culture and people’s egos with the insight of a doctoral fellow in behavioral psychology. He was ahead of his time for those who failed to value him, let alone respect him.

The man delivered comedic barbs that stung, probably because he could see right through you. Yet, frustratingly, the documentary, while well-intentioned, tells us very little we didn’t already know. Frankly, we learned more about MacDonald in Norm MacDonald: Nothing Special, the 2022 special featuring commentary from Conan, Letterman, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and David Spade. Sadly, Apatow’s film lacks interviews with these figures.

Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald shows deep appreciation for the man but falls short of delivering a definitive, three-dimensional portrait. In today’s streaming market, that seems to be accepted rather than merely tolerated. However, this is a film about a man who lived a fiercely private life, keeping his battle with cancer from everyone outside his immediate circle.

Is Netflix’s Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald worth watching

That was the way MacDonald wanted it. Judd Apatow’s Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald is a thoughtful, affectionate tribute to a comedian whose deadpan brilliance and irreverent humor remain timeless. Yet the new documentary offers few new insights, leaving audiences with an incomplete portrait of an intensely private man. Or, perhaps, too much respect from his colleagues.

Either way, and at face value, respecting his privacy is what the comedian would have wanted, regardless of what the public craves.

You can watch the new documentary film Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald exclusively on Netflix starting October 16th!

Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald Review: A Thoughtful Tribute That Falls Short of a Definitive Portrait