Steve Martin is a comedy legend going way, way back, as the trailer for a new documentary called STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces shows, below. The Apple TV+ documentary, debuting Friday, is chock-full of admiring celebs talking about the famous comedian, plus clips from his wild and crazy standup years in the 1970s.
UPDATE: The two-part documentary — and the two parts are quite distinct, like two different documentaries — premieres Friday, March 29, on Apple TV+. One part chronicles Martin’s meteoric rise to fame decades ago and the other part nestles into his happy and fulfilled life now. Reviews so far seem quite positive, though the two parts don’t provide a complete, linear account of all the legend’s accomplishments.
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STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces trailer tells story of comedy legend
After starting his career as a TV writer in the 1960s, Steve Martin became a big-deal stand-up comic in the 1970s. He brought silliness back to the politics-saturated comedy of the time.
And then, somehow, he never really went away. All those appearances on Saturday Night Live and other shows, hit films (The Jerk and Planes, Trains and Automobiles), TV series (Only Murders in the Building), banjo concert tours and more certainly helped. He also won the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2005 and an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2015. Martin’s 2007 memoir is Born Standing Up.
Now Apple TV+ is putting out a two-part documentary about Martin directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?).
After all that, why do a Steve Martin documentary now?
Martin has his reasons for submitting to the documentary treatment now, after all his accomplishments.
“I see it as an antidote to the sort of anodyne interviews, generic things I’ve talked about a million times,” Martin says in the second part of the documentary. “What an odd life. My whole life is backwards. How did I go from riddled with anxiety in my 30s, to [age] 75 and really happy? How did this happen?”
The second part of the documentary really gets into that, according to a lengthy NPR review.
And when you’re famous for 50 years or so, you get to know, work with and be admired by a lot of other celebrities. The film features Martin Short, Tina Fey, Jerry Seinfeld, Eric Idle, Diane Keaton, Selena Gomez and Finn Wittrock.
Here’s how Apple TV+ described the Steve Martin documentary, which covers his rise to stardom and his life now:
Steve Martin is one of the most beloved and enigmatic figures in entertainment. STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces dives into his extraordinary story from two distinct points of view, with companion documentaries that feature never-before-seen footage and raw insights into Martin’s personal and professional trials and triumphs. “Then” chronicles Martin’s early struggles and meteoric rise to revolutionize stand-up before walking away at 35. “Now” focuses on the present day, with Martin in the golden years of his career, retracing the transformation that led to happiness in his art and personal life.
The documentary comes from A24 and Tremolo Productions.
Watch the Steve Martin documentary trailer:
Watch documentaries on Apple TV+
The new Steve Martin documentary joins the slate of Apple TV+ documentaries on March 29. The service is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 471 wins and 2,090 award nominations and counting,” the service said.
In addition to award-winning movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso), Apple TV+ offers a variety of documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.
Source: Apple TV+
We first published this post on March 6, 2024, and republished it to underline the documentary’s release date, March 29, 2024.
