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She Used to Laugh is used with permission from Greg Berman. Learn more at http://omele.to/3xJDB0k.
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Jay is a stand-up comedian doing a show at the legendary Kibitz Room in Los Angeles. Under the familiar glow of the spotlight, he goes into a routine detailing the beginning and end of a recent relationship.
He milks the story for laughs, but as his show goes on, notes of raw pain and anger begin to creep in, as he puzzles out why such a promising romance disintegrated into a bitter breakup. As Jay takes the audience on his journey of love and loss, it’s apparent to the audience that Jay needs to take a look at his past. But the question is whether or not Jay will wake up to this realization.
Directed and written by Greg Berman, who also plays the lead role of Jay, this unexpectedly poignant short romance explores the fine line between comedy and tragedy in an unusually raw and open way, as it dissects one man’s romantic travails.
The storytelling cleverly operates on two levels: there’s the story as Jay tells it, using it for material and shaping it for laughs and punchlines. And then there is a more cinematic retelling, as flashbacks are woven into Jay’s monologue. Running in parallel and united by restless visual naturalism, the dueling stories help viewers see the melancholy behind the comedy — and the discrepancies between Jay’s understanding of events versus a more complicated truth.
Jay’s routine is brutal and funny at first, and as an actor, Berman plays up the farce of two human beings trying to get their wants and needs met by one another. But Berman is also fearless in letting Jay be genuinely emotional, and what starts as laughs turns into something more uncomfortable, for him and his audience. The writing deftly peels back Jay’s defenses, including his humor — the thing that makes him who he is. But as he reaches the key moment in both his routine and his life, we see how it has become a form of self-sabotage.
Yet for Jay, the show must go on and a punchline must be hit — even when it’s at the expense of something and someone important. By the end of “She Used to Laugh,” we have the sense that Jay may just be opening up to this tendency in himself, and that it may take some time before he truly confronts this about himself. The conclusion comes with an unexpected sense of sorrow, thanks to the film’s ability to detail a richly realized character full of strengths and flaws and a relationship that was full of promise and love but was scuttered at a key moment. It’s wise enough to know that Jay’s road ahead of him will likely be a long and bumpy one and astute in its portrayal of the costs.
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A stand-up comedian jokes about his recent breakup — but the pain is still raw. | She Used to Laugh
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I have watched this short multiple times and everytime it grows on me. The actor playing the comedian has done a fabulous job mixing anger, pain and comedy.
I had friends growing up that were always laughing, joking and cracking jokes. Everyone wanted to be their friends bc why not? They didn't have a shy bone in their body and always knew what to say. But my family knew them better than most people and we knew what their private life was like. The dad was a raging alcoholic who was gay but married to a shy, timid mennonite woman. Why he stayed with her, who knows but he took out his anger to the world and life towards his wife and family. He'd regularly beat his wife and his kids too. So while the world saw them as funny and jokesters, I saw that as a facade to what was happening at home. Even years later at their dear mama's funeral, they were sitting in the greeting line, joking and laughing.
Sure he’s sad, but clearly she is pregnant and he’s missing the “happy hours” which are actually doctors appointments. There are so many and he doesn’t know when they are. And he’s been abandoning her with the child that is already born in order to do comedy. All the texts he’s getting aren’t nice texts from her family either, they are telling him to take care of his family, not just texting him to chat.
awesome!!!
Pain is the ultimate pleasure….
death is the ultimate ecstasy.
Music calmns the savage beast
Laughter is the best release.
Pathetic loser. I can see why she dumped his low vibrational ass. Smh…
Ive seen alot of Omeletos on the past, but this guy is a really strong actor.
Have a feeling we will see him on alot more stuff.
Love the escalation with the flashback scenes
Acting. Writing. Camera work. All great
Really enjoyed this Greg! Love some dark humor ♥️
Good for her she left that clown
Does anyone know the actors name?
Great acting 🥹
If you’re going to date a comedian you’d better want a lifetime subscription to comedy!!
Great storytelling Greg. Everybody poops.
always good stuff.
Everything from Greg is so intentional and powerful! I loved this.
Wow.
That was so real
and so painful.
I hope he gets it
back together with her.
She's going to be
his baby mama.
He wants to be there for
all of it.
I'm wondering if
this is a true story?
Lord, this was sad.
I love the style of this short, it holds your attention and entertains as well as a real comedian’s act while actually getting his whole not that funny story out…very well done 👍
Whoa, I Kind of didn’t want this to end – not because I’m a sadist lol but because the way this guy weaved pain into his performance and still performed so freaking well, just blew my mind!
Kudos to the entire team!
I always resort to watching good stand up comedy when I'm sad, and this was very, very good!
The best comedians are always the most depressed ones.
Oh, and actually I forgot to say this: who on earth would reply to a compliment from their boyfriend about how soft their skin is, talking about something so gross like lampshades, if not a mentally ill person?
Are women totally incapable of taking compliments these days? And they even think that's funny? Jeez…I know it's just fiction but the guy definitely dodged a bullet here.
This guy is a good actor and was convincing
He's so natural and a pro that we can see the emotional turbulence without having to see him broke down crying or shouting.