Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
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Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

Your Score
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  • Summary: After a much-publicized departure from hosting NBC's Tonight Show - and the severing of a 22-year relationship with the network - O'Brien hit the road with a 32-city music-and-comedy show to exercise his performing chops and exorcise a few demons. The "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" was O'Brien's answer to a contractual stipulation that banned his appearance on television, radio and the Internet for six months following his last show. Filmmaker Rodman Flender's resulting documentary, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, is an intimate portrait of an artist trained in improvisation, captured at the most improvisational time of his career. It offers a window into the private writers room and rehearsal halls as O'Brien's "half-assed show" (his words) is almost instantly assembled and mounted to an adoring fan base. (Abramorama)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 25
  3. Negative: 2 out of 25
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Jun 22, 2011
    91
    An 
unexpectedly revealing, disconcerting documentary that benefits from the filmmaker's unmediated approach, his home-movie-
quality visual style, and his controlled use of on-the-fly moments.
  2. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Jul 28, 2011
    80
    He's always on - this is a documentary, after all, so even when O'Brien is offstage, he's still performing in some capacity, cracking wise at the camera, of whose presence he is acutely aware.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    Jun 23, 2011
    60
    If Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is consistently watchable, it isn't especially funny, nor does it give any deeper insight into its star than you might get from seeing his late-night shows.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    Jun 23, 2011
    38
    Maybe this review is more about me than about Conan O'Brien, but I really couldn't get past the odor of self-congratulation emanating from nearly every scene in Conan O'Brien Can't Stop.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Rainnip
    10
    STANDING OVATION at The South by Southwest Film Fest where I first saw this fab doc!
    The energy is amazing. Coco is on fire! Fueled by what m    ust have been his ire at being summarily dismissed by execs at NBC (all of whom have since been fired) after only 7 months at The Tonight Show, he tears it up both onstage and off.
    But there is no pity. You see what he's like when he's "on" as well as when he's grumpy. And it ain't all roses.
    Conan has a wacky relationships with his ever-present assistant and Jeff, his long-time friend and producer.
    He even punches a writer! This documentary provides an unflinching view of what it is like to be a very gifted albeit tortured soul.    … Expand
  2. CitizenCharlie
    6
    To continuously get up in front of a large number of people and try over and over again to make them laugh must take a tremendous amount of self confidence and a healthy ego. In Conan Oâ… Expand
  3. MarcDoyle
    6
    It's a fun, amiable movie, but it's not strong enough on a music level, and it doesn't explore his career situation with enough depth to be truly interesting. It's a decent companion piece to the 60 Minutes interview. You're holding your breath that the guy doesn't lose his voice through the movie, which is a hair uncomfortable. He seems like a really good guy. His relationship with the crew and his personal assistant are telling. Great to see him with Andy again.… Expand
  4. gmanual
    5
    I am a pretty big fan of Conan, but I found this documentary pretty bland. Conan is constantly complaining about the life on the road and I'm not sure to believe this as genuine or mockumentary. Not much is learned in the behind the scenes interviews of Conan and his live shows segments are mishmashed together making them hard to follow and seem to miss vital comedy routine setup to make these segments funny.

    This might have been more interesting if it was aired before Conan started his new late night show, but knowing how everything turns out for him upsets the the mood this documentary tries to set.. Which is probably why I found it so unfulfilling.    … Expand

See all 5 User Reviews

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