ABOUT THE FILM

Synopsis

In this satire of modern American stand-up, a documentary camera crew follows two up-and-coming comics from diametrically opposite worlds as they strive for success. Deliberately eschewing the entertainment industry, JAY lives in the Midwest and sets up his touring gigs by himself. Bearded and grungy, he identifies as a scumbag and is more likely to sleep on a stranger’s couch than at a hotel. As he’ll reiterate weekly on his podcast, he believes that cancel culture is out of control and that freedom of speech is under attack. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles-based JOVAN is desperately chasing approval and attention from everybody. To him, stand-up comedy is simply a way to get seen and become famous. To that end, he’s usually more concerned with choosing his stage outfit than perfecting his material.

Throughout the film, these two seemingly-disparate comedians display remarkable similarities in their self-centeredness, as they maneuver their way through their respective scenes in dogged pursuit of their goals. Jay thinks nabbing a guest appearance on the most popular comedy podcast will bring him the notoriety he craves. Jovan is convinced that booking a spot on a major international comedy festival will catapult him to stardom. Will their relentless drive be enough to take them to the top or will egotism and delusion inevitably get in the way? Just when aspirations seem to be within reach for both characters, dark secrets from the past are revealed, behavior starts to get out of hand, and a shocking twist changes everything.

Stills & Poster


World Premiere

The Filmmakers

JOE KWACZALA (WRITER / PRODUCER / ACTOR)
The main characters of Jay and Jovan are both played by veteran comedian and actor Joe Kwaczala, who also wrote the film. To create this world, Joe drew from his 15+ year career as a stand-up comic, which included a television special on Comedy Central, several successful albums, and accolades from outlets like Vulture and The AV Club. Having started his comedy career in Chicago and now a resident of Los Angeles, he has met countless versions of Jay and Jovan and everything in between. With this film, Joe’s goal is to deviate from the many shows and movies about stand-up that wax poetic about the power of comedy or how comedians are allegedly modern-day philosophers. Rather, he wrote this script and developed these characters to satirize the ugly (and hilarious) truth about most comedians: they’re selfish, overly-sensitive, delusional, deeply stupid, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And as a delusional comedian himself, he hopes American Comic can become the This Is Spinal Tap for the comedy world: featuring specific, recognizable situations that hit hard for the insiders, along with universal themes and humor that speak to the human experience and resonate with the broader comedy audience.

DANIEL J. CLARK (DIRECTOR / PRODUCER)
Daniel is an Emmy-nominated, Sundance-supported documentary filmmaker whose debut documentary feature Behind the Curve premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival before being acquired for distribution by Netflix. He has also directed short-form comedy for Comedy Central, IFC, and Funny or Die and helmed the independently-produced pilot Cowards, which won Best Comedy at the New York Television Festival. His follow-up pilot Kwaczala was awarded the top prize in its category at SeriesFest, which led to an Amazon Prime series of the same name. In addition to directing, Daniel shoots, edits, produces, and even sound mixes. His editing work on the Netflix docuseries Cheer was recognized with an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program. American Comic is his debut narrative feature film.

HAYLEY McFARLAND (ACTOR / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER)
Hayley McFarland is a Los Angeles-based actor, originally from Edmond, Oklahoma. As a teenager, her career got off to an auspicious start when she was cast as Tim Roth's daughter Emily Lightman in the FOX drama Lie to Me. Dozens of television roles would soon follow, including a recurring role as Brooke Putner on Sons of Anarchy as well as memorable turns on shows like Mad Men, Grey's Anatomy, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Just this year, she recurred on the final season of 1923 and guest starred on network television's #1 show Tracker. Film (and horror) fans will also recognize Hayley as Nancy, one of the Perron sisters in James Wan's The Conjuring. Her recent film credits include Agnes, Out of Exile, and the upcoming We’re Not Safe Here and Anywhere. In addition to playing Olivia in American Comic, she is also making her debut as a producer for the film.

SAM WILES (ACTOR / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER)
Sam Wiles is a Los Angeles-based comedian/writer who grew up in Iowa but started his comedy career in San Diego. Political comedy fans may recognize Sam from his viral impressions of J.D. Vance, which got him featured in outlets like the New York Times, Buzzfeed, and USA Today. Sam has also written for shows on NBC and TNT, and he co-created the popular web series Gridiron Heights for Bleacher Report. As a stand-up, he regularly tours with Saturday Night Live’s James Austin Johnson, and his album “Here Comes Success!” is newly out on A Special Thing Records. With more than a decade’s worth of experience in the comedy world, Sam wants to stress that the craziest things depicted in American Comic are hardly exaggerations.

MAGGIE KAUFMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
Maggie Kaufman is a Los Angeles native whose lifelong love of comedy led to her career as an executive producer. Primarily working with independent filmmakers, she's committed to providing resources and support to the kinds of projects that need it the most. Her debut short film as producer was The Sperm Bank, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. She's also worked on shorts including Grace Sells a Vanity, Super Real Super Grounded, Turn Key Ready, and Scars, which took home the Best Indie Short Award at the Los Angeles International Film Festival. American Comic may be her first feature film, but it is only the most recent project in a long list of collaborations with the filmmaking team of Joe Kwaczala and Daniel J. Clark.

Director's Statement

With the film complete, it’s easy now to see that American Comic was inevitable. For nearly two decades, I’ve maintained a strong and fruitful creative relationship with comedian Joe Kwaczala. Together, we’ve made award-winning pilots, music videos, web series, and well over 100 sketch videos. We always dreamed of making a feature film, but what would it be about and how could we pull it off? Turns out, the answers were in front of us the whole time. In addition to collaborating with me, Joe is a celebrated stand-up comic with a Comedy Central special and 15 years of experience. And when I’m not working with Joe, I have a whole other career as a documentary filmmaker and editor. So by making a mockumentary that takes place in the world of stand-up, we’d be perfectly blending our strengths into something deeply personal for both of us. We couldn’t not do it.

Joe and I didn’t wait for someone to give us the greenlight to make this film. We pooled our resources, called in every favor (from actors, comedians, venues, etc.) and set out with a script and a camera. We filmed on-location in different parts of the country at real comedy shows in front of real, unsuspecting audiences. We took this approach because stand-up never feels quite right when portrayed on TV and in movies. So we would have Joe get on-stage in the middle of a normal comedy show, not tell anyone he was performing in-character, and capture the authentic reaction. It even surprised us how well it worked.

One of the other things we wanted to accomplish with this film was to counter the self-seriousness that surrounds comedy (and often within documentaries about comedy.) There are many comedians who will tell you that they’re “modern-day philosophers.” And while that may be true for a very select few, we think the reality is pretty obviously the opposite. Open up Instagram and watch a stand-up set or a clip from a comedy podcast. Do these people seem profound? Do they even sound literate? Through his dual lead roles in the film, Joe is satirizing these very personalities and types that you’ll find in any stand-up scene. Although superficially quite different, the characters of Jay and Jovan are driven by the same pursuit of love and acceptance that is at the core of any comic.

I’m extremely proud of American Comic. I’m excited to see how its message, characters, and jokes resonate with audiences, whether they’re insiders from the comedy world who find it all too familiar or outsiders curious to peek behind the curtain of this strange subculture.