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The Last Laugh

Available screening types

Virtual

On-demand

In-person

Available until

Apr 28, 2025

Available in

Worldwide

About the film

Feature documentary about humor and the Holocaust, examining whether it is ever acceptable to use humor in connection with a tragedy of that scale, and the implications for other seemingly off-limits topics in a society that prizes free speech.

Genre

Documentary

Runtime

1h 26m

Released

2016

Director

Ferne Pearlstein

Producer

Ferne Pearlstein, Robert Edwards, Amy Hobby, Anne Hubbell and Jan Warner

Cast

Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Sarah Silverman, Robert Clary, Rob Reiner, Susie Essman, Harry Shearer, Jeffrey Ross, Alan Zweibel, Gilbert Gottfried, Judy Gold, Larry Charles, David Steinberg, Abraham Foxman, Lisa Lampanelli, David Cross, Roz Weinman, Klara Firestone, Elly Gross, Deb Filler, Etgar Keret, Shalom Auslander, Jake Ehrenreich, Hanala Sagal and Renee Firestone

Awards & recognition

Tribeca Film Festival

World Premiere

HotDocs Film Festival

International Premiere

Jerusalem Film Festival

Official Selection

Dallas VideoFest

Winner - Best Documentary

BFI London Film Festival

Official Selection

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

Centerpiece Film - Berkeley Big Night

What people are saying

Insightfully open-ended inquiry into the role of humor as it relates to unspeakable tragedy.

Nick Schager

Village Voice

By seeking humor in the darkest dark, The Last Laugh gets at the intrinsic nature of comedy.

Jake Coyle

Associated Press

A viciously humane work, on a journey as vigorous as any contemplated by D.A. Pennebaker and his sort.

Christopher Campbell

Nonfics

Entertaining, thought-provoking

Dennis Harvey

Variety

Funny and sobering at the same time

Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

It doesn’t downplay the tragedy behind the comedy

Alex Needham

The Guardian

Worth the price of admission.

Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert. com

At a time when many of look to comedy to keep us sane, the question is especially pertinent.

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

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