Everybody loves Martin Short. That’s the recurring theme in Netflix’s documentary about the Canadian performer, Marty, Life is Short. Over an hour and 40 minutes, director Lawrence Kasdan captures the life and career of his close friend, from his upbringing in Hamilton to his star-studded friendships and his current gig on Only Murders in the Building.
It’s a captivating project thanks to the staggering amount of home video footage, proving that Short has been his own best documentarian over the years. What he captures is a laughter and joy-filled life with friends and family, particularly with wife Nancy Dolman, whom Short met in 1972 and was married to for 32 years before her death from ovarian cancer in 2010.
Short and his late wife Nancy Dolman.HO/The Canadian Press
Spotting Short’s celebrity friends in these home videos is almost like a drinking game, with appearances from Tom Hanks, Kurt Russell, Catherine O’Hara and Steven Spielberg. Long-time collaborators including Steve Martin, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, John Candy and Paul Shaffer also appear in the old footage, reminding viewers just how prolific the 76-year-old actor has been over his career.
Nearly all of those personalities also come back to discuss Short’s appeal and comedic presence, including O’Hara, who gave a lengthy interview before her death this January. The way most of them also interact with Kasdan, behind the camera, while telling their stories continues that home video vibe and gives the doc an extremely intimate feel.
From left: Paul Shaffer, Short and Eugene Levy, from a scene of the movie.HO/The Canadian Press
Short himself chats easily about his professional life, opening up in one poignant scene about a breakdown he had early on in his career on the way to meet Shaffer and Bill Murray for dinner. Murray had recently booked Saturday Night Live while Short wasn’t sure what he was doing with his career, and he had to sit down at a corner in Hollywood with Dolman before eventually cancelling dinner and returning home.
Short describes it as a turning point that led to his joining the Toronto-born sketch comedy show SCTV and creating characters such as Ed Grimley. Elsewhere, the movie also examines some of his other recurring men over the years, including celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick and the defensive lawyer Nathan Thurm, whom Short based on one of the makeup artists at SNL, where Short starred for the 1984 to 1985 season.
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Where the project falters is in its examinations of the tragedies Short has somehow smiled through. His friends talk about a guy who always brought the party, shrugged off box office bombs and wasn’t afraid to take a risk. Their faces light up when they recall the love between Short and Dolman, and the way they set the bar for every other couple in their lives.
However, Short doesn’t dwell on those moments in his interviews, nor does he go in-depth on other personal tragedies. While he addresses the death of his brother growing up and the deaths of his parents shortly after, he retells the events factually to keep it light. Short does speak about his wife’s passing and the importance of keeping her memory alive, but he does not mention the death of his daughter, Katherine Short, who took her own life this February. (The film is dedicated to her and O’Hara.)
Short and late comic actor Catherine O'Hara in Marty, Life Is Short.HO/The Canadian Press
Despite those guarded takes, the overall project is a love letter to Short and a celebration of the joy he’s brought others over the years, with plenty of moments that viewers wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Short himself, who would have been 75 when he sat down for his interviews, is self-deprecating about the whole thing, particularly during an end credits scene where he shares his thoughts on Martin Short while in character as Jiminy Glick.
It’s a must-watch for any fan who wants a peek behind the curtain of a beloved actor hanging out at his Canadian cottage, hosting boisterous parties with shticks and performances, and having a good time doing what he loves. It’s impossible not to laugh at the compilation of performances, both old and new (watch for a Butch Cassidy re-enactment between Short and Hanks, shot by Spielberg on a boat).
In the end, expect to walk away from Marty, Life is Short with a smile on your face, having just spent time with a guy who realized early on that life’s short, so why not make the most of it.