Hulu Documentary From Comedy Legend Highlights One Of The Greatest Writers Of All Time
If you’re a fan of black comedies, you may be intimately acquainted with the written works of Kurt Vonnegut, who is known as one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century. For those who love Kurt Vonnegut’s works, as well as those who have never read anything from the prolific writer but wish to learn more, a documentary detailing his life and catalogue is available to view on Hulu. The film, titled Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time was helmed by Robert B. Weide, who is best known for producing and directing Curb Your Enthusiasm.
40 Years Filming
Long before Weide created Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time for Hulu, he was a close personal friend of the author. This personal relationship lends a deep sense of familiarity and authenticity to the documentary that simply couldn’t be replicated by your run-of-the-mill filmmaker. The movie, which finally saw its premiere in 2021, was conceptualized and filmed over the course of 40 years, as Weide struggled to capture the essence of his lifelong friend and his body of work in a concise manner.
Best Known As The Author Of Slaughterhouse-Five
As a result of the 40-year production period, Unstuck In Time contains a number of interviews and discussions between the writer’s family and friends, as well as the people touched by Vonnegut’s work both during his lifetime and after his death in 2007. Kurt Vonnegut’s expansive bibliography is far too large to be parsed through in a single 2-hour Hulu documentary, though Weide does an exceptional job at walking the audience through the broad strokes of the satirist’s work. Most readers around the globe know Vonnegut best for his groundbreaking 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
From The Man Behind Curb Your Enthusiasm
It’s easy to see why Robert B. Weide and Kurt Vonnegut got along so well, as the Hulu film showcases their shared comedic influences. Unlike Vonnegut, who mastered the art of written satire, Weide took his talents behind the camera, serving as a documentary filmmaker for other subjects, including Woody Allen, Mort Sahl, and legendary comedian Lenny Bruce.
Though each of his documentaries have been well received in their own right, Weide is best known for his work on the early seasons of Larry David’s HBO original series Curb Your Enthusiasm.
You Get A Lot More Than Expected
With Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time, Weide takes on an almost Charlie Kaufman-esque sense of endless self-reference. The movie seems to reference its own production just as much as it references Vonnegut’s actual work, resulting in a beautiful piece of fascinating and subversive media.
As a fan of Kurt Vonnegut’s work, I intentionally sought this Hulu documentary out as a means to learn more about the man behind some of my favorite satirical novels and short stories. Instead, I became intimately acquainted with Vonnegut’s friendships and impact on his family, in a final product that was so much more profound than I could have anticipated.
Fan Or Not, Check It Out On Hulu
REVIEW SCORE
If you’re interested in checking out Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time, you can stream the documentary film on Hulu today. If you’re already a fan of Vonnegut’s work, the project will surely offer a newfound appreciation for his material. Alternatively, if you’ve never read anything from the comedic writer before in your life, this film may give you the bug to run out and grab a copy of Slaughterhouse-Five right away.
