Fired!

[April 18th, 2007] [SHORT RUN] "You're fired." Every year, some 1.4 million Americans hear that phrase, and it stings. When it comes from the mouth of an asshole boss, it's even worse. But imagine if your asshole boss were legendary director Woody Allen. Yeah, that's just a kick in the sack.

Such was the experience of comedienne Annabelle Gurwitch, and the subject of the documentary Fired!, which starts out in an Allenesque New York dreamland before Gurwitch gets the boot from an off-Broadway play by the man himself. The director tells Gurwitch that she's "terrible" and "looks like a retard" before kicking her out of the show (if you've ever seen Gurwitch's obnoxious TBS gimmick show Dinner and a Movie, you might sympathize with Allen). Coping with her loss, the intrepid New Yorker did what anyone else would do—downed a bottle of Black Velvet and ran into the arms of her friends. Lucky for us, her friends are a group of comedians, writers and actors who are happy to reminisce about their workplace horror stories in front of a camera.

The movie, a companion to Gurwitch's bestselling book, Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized and Dismissed, seems like something that could get boring fast. It's hilarious to see big names such as Tim Allen, Bob Odenkirk, Harry Shearer, David Cross and Sarah Silverman riff on their worst moments in the workforce, but it also has the potential to dry up quickly. Yet Gurwitch keeps the ball rolling into unexpected territory. The film often ventures into social commentary on the state of the American workforce in a surprisingly poignant way. An extended sequence echoes Michael Moore's Roger & Me, as Gurwitch investigates more General Motors plant closings and their effect on the community of Lansing, Mich. (my hometown, where I did my fair share of firing as a coffee shop manager).

Gurwitch has found a shtick in the sacking business, and Fired! does a fantastic job of treating a familiar pain with the ultimate therapy: laughter. And a shitload of Black Velvet.