This Is the Tom Green Documentary

Tom Green was born and raised in Ottawa and rose to fame out of his Rogers Cable 22 Tom Green show. He eventually got picked up by MTV, moved to New York, then California hosting his own show. He became hugely famous. Maybe not Jim Carrey famous, but famous none the less. He married Drew Barrymore and got testicular cancer - I don't recall which order but nobody blames Drew. He was very public about it, made a show of it. He also made his own feature length movie, "Freddy Got Finger." It was panned by most critics. I thought it to be wildly funny. I never watched his show, but was aware of some of his earlier stunts: painting his dad's car, turning it into the slut-mobile; painting his parents house plaid; snorkeling in full scuba gear for change in the shopping mall fountain. All extremely funny stuff, stuff taken to the next level by "Jackass" which took over his time slot when Green walked away. I've always cheered for Tom, being an Ottawa boy myself. A sense of hometown pride seeing him in "Charlie's Angels" and making it in Hollywood. There had been silence but now Tom has reappeared with this documentary, a new reality TV series forthcoming on Prime and a comedy special taped here in Ottawa at the NAC. Tom has walked away from Hollywood and moved back home, living on a farm just outside of Ottawa. Something has changed. Green’s demeanour has changed . And he is sporting a full beard. Jim Carrey had one of these for a while. Even David Letterman, Green's personal hero. There is an aura of trauma given off in both his appearance and the way he carries himself, no longer the manic crazed Green, but slow and soft, with his dog by his side, who seems like an emotional support animal. This documentary feels like a part of a package, so there is something slightly sale-pitchy about it. At the same time, I feel it's a cathartic release for Green. He is acknowledging who he was and what he did, and in doing so, letting it go. Maybe the cancer changed him. Or maybe he realized getting the fame and money he always wanted wasn't really what he always wanted. Maybe a bit of both. Full confession by me: this dcc and Tom's new series was edited by my friend, Jay Bond. I thought his work on this was amazing. The doc concludes with the taping of his stand up performance at the NAC. If you freeze frame the credits, you will see me, in my Godzilla hoodie. Green was a pioneer in goofy, absurdist showmanship, a clown. He’s still very funny but Green is different now, softer, and has become a nuanced artist. Catch this streaming now on Prime.