BY SEAN EGAN | Dan Harmon is a strange kind of celebrity. As creator and showrunner of the cult sitcom “Community,” he’s built an intense and devoted fan base off of his quirky, distinctive sense of humor and his commitment to character and emotional authenticity. A sort of cut of personality sprung up around the man himself, leading him to start “Harmontown” — a successful live podcast set in the back of a comic book shop, in which he and his friends basically just chew the fat.
Despite his notoriety, Harmon would probably be the first to point out how ridiculous the idea of making a documentary about him is — and in fact he is the first to. Within the opening minutes of Neil Berkeley’s new doc, “Harmontown,” Harmon jokes to the camera (and director) about the shots they’re filming, and continues to flippantly comment on the documentary for the duration of the film. That’s Harmon in a nutshell though — hilarious and self-deprecating in equal measure, and more than willing to be blunt and honest no matter the cost.
The movie picks up just after Harmon’s self-destructive streak landed him in one of the worst situations of his professional life. After the perpetually low-rated “Community” completed its third season, Harmon was fired by NBC for a litany of reasons — including frequently going over budget, missing deadlines, refusing to compromise his content, and getting into a very public conflict with show star Chevy Chase. At this low point (and with two prospective pilots to write for CBS and FOX), Harmon and his podcast crew decided to take “Harmontown” on the road to connect with fans and blow off steam.
As a documentary, “Harmontown” is pretty standard goings, ably directed by Berkeley. It’s shot mostly featuring fly-on-the-wall footage and direct addresses to the camera — and the unfussy and self-referential style suits the film well. Its talking head interviews are quite amusing, featuring stars Harmon’s worked with — including the whole cast of “Community,” Sarah Silverman, John Oliver, and A-listers like Jack Black and Ben Stiller. Still, the movie is at its most entertaining when it simply lets Harmon (and co-host Jeff B. Davis) do their thing onstage. The shaggy nature of the podcast leads to banter that is always lively and hysterical, and often offers a very revealing glimpse into Harmon’s mind and neurosis. Here, feeding off of crowd energy and opening his heart to strangers, it’s easy to see why Harmon’s fans have formed such an intense bond to the man, and vice versa.
The fans themselves could probably be considered the secondary subject of the film. Harmon makes a point to meet and talk with every fan who wants to after the show (autographs included), and the film often pauses to focus on individual fans professing their deep love for “Community” and Harmon. They frequently cite that he and his work has helped them feel less alienated and more comfortable with themselves. Nowhere is this shown better than through Spencer Crittenden, a Harmon fan, who joined the podcast by chance as the resident Dungeon Master for the show’s frequent D&D games. Spencer is a reliably witty figure throughout the tour and film, but his presence also exemplifies how warm and inclusive the cult of Harmon can be.
But even though the movie is a love letter to Harmon and his fans, it stops short of deifying him, and smartly casts a critical eye on its subject. Harmon is shown repeatedly to be casually neglectful or callous, especially towards his loving girlfriend, Erin. He also fits the role of self-loathing artist to a tee, complete with incessant alcohol consumption. A main subplot involves Harmon flagrantly ignoring his writing obligations to CBS and FOX. And though Harmon comes to a place of mild self-realization by the end of the film, it’s clear that the man is profoundly flawed, and will continue to be so.
Despite all it does well, the movie is similarly flawed. It drags in places, and could be significantly shorter. It also could have focused more on footage from the live shows, to add a little more humor and liven up the predictable tour documentary beats (Harmon himself even jokes about the Campbellian hero’s journey structure of the doc’s narrative). In addition, the film does a somewhat patchy job explaining who Harmon is and his history in the entertainment industry (presumably because its target audience can fill in the blanks).
“Harmontown” then, might be most successful as a fans-only affair — but then again, Dan Harmon himself has always been a fans-only affair. And for fans of Dan Harmon and his work, this film will be a gift that will only help to increase their admiration for the man.
HARMONTOWN
Directed & Written by Neil Berkeley
Runtime: 101 min.
Available On Demand through Time Warner, Vios, Comcast, RCN
Also available on Amazon & iTunes
