Marc Maron reflects on his career as a stand-up comic and podcast pioneer, while confronting the tensions between grief and comedy, in the new trailer for the upcoming documentary, Are We Good?
The clip, premiering exclusively on Rolling Stone, offers the first wide look at the highly anticipated film, which premiered earlier this year at South by Southwest. Directed by Steven Feinartz, the film is as much a deep dive into Maron’s unique career as it is a chronicle of one of the most challenging moments of his life after the death of his partner, filmmaker Lynn Shelton, in 2020.
Following a great opening sequence in which Maron scolds his cats, the first half of the trailer focuses on the comedian’s career as he talks frankly about how hitting his stand-up ceiling led him to start his popular interview podcast, WTF. “I couldn’t draw [crowds] no matter how many Conans I did,” he says. “And that was part of the beginning of the podcast.”
Highlighting just how profound a change this turned out to be, John Mulaney shows up to say, “There’s that Lou Reed line, ‘I accept the new found man.’ And that is what Marc became.”
But things get a bit heavier in the second half of the clip as Maron confronts his disillusionment, both on a political and personal level. Referring to Shelton’s death at the beginning of the pandemic, he says, “I don’t know how to talk about some of the stuff that I went through. I don’t even know if it’s appropriate to do it. You know, when do I write a joke? When does the funny happen? I’m clearly dealing with grief and sadness by overcompensating with anger and funny.”
Along with Mulaney, Are We Good? will feature interviews with Maron’s fellow comics like David Cross and Nate Bargatze. It’ll also include footage from several of Maron’s biggest WTF interviews, such as with Barack Obama, Andrew Garfield, and Patton Oswalt.
Are We Good? will open in theaters Oct. 3, with tickets on sale now. The film’s arrival coincides with the end of WTF, which is set to air its final episode after 16 years this fall.
