When asked how he manages to maintain such a joyful disposition, Martin Short simply attributes it to being born with the “happy gene”, the kind of personality that always finds the positive in any situation. It has informed his outlook on life, guided his career, and been the foundation on which he has built what we can consider one of the most distinctive personalities in show business. It doesn’t take long for us to learn that Short has suffered more than many people ever will – he lost his brother and both parents before he reached the age of twenty, followed by several friends and colleagues over the course of the years, and then in the last two decades, both his longtime wife and daughter also departed, after long battles with terminal illnesses. You would imagine that any one of these experiences would break even the most resilient of souls, but Short has maintained nothing but positivity, existing as someone whose constant pursuit of laughter has made him a truly beloved entertainer. Much of his life is covered in his autobiography, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, a book that he wrote in which he covers his early childhood to nearly the present day, ending only a few years after the death of his wife, which he still considers to be one of the defining moments of his life, both professional and personal. It was an essential text for anyone who wanted to know more about the man behind the mask – or rather, an opportunity for us to realise that it isn’t a mask, but rather an accurate depiction of a man truly born to entertain. Many of these chapters of his life have now been revisited in the form of Marty, Life Is Short, a documentary made by Lawrence Kasdan, who considers himself one of Short’s closest friends, going back to their first collaboration in the late 1980s, where they immediately forged an ironclad connection. A simple documentary that spans over seventy years of his life, the film peers behind the curtain, giving us unforgettable insights into the mind of a man who is nothing if not a genius, but even more than that, a deeply sincere and honest

Over the years, we’ve seen an influx of documentaries produced that look at the lives of beloved entertainers, some who have tragically passed on, others who have lingered behind, remaining here to entertain us and impart their wisdom. I don’t think it’s inappropriate to say the vast majority of them, as well-made as they may be, are not always all that impressive, existing to occupy the slightly derogatory but not any less honest category of the “puff piece”, overly lavish, bloated attempts to underline the legacy of someone better off just having their work speak for itself. This is not the case with Marty, Life Is Short, which is a film handcrafted by someone who knew the subject, inside and out. One of the first conversations we hear in the film is between Short and Kasdan, as they go back and forth about how this documentary is built on the fact that they have known each other for decades, having a lifelong friendship that has now led to this moment, where the latter has taken the time to craft what is essentially a deeply moving love letter to his friend, rather than just a bit of mindless celebratory escapism. There comes a point when we realise what we are seeing is not just some film clips cobbled together by a recurring talking head interviews – there are certainly enough of both, since they are very important in understanding who Short is, but it’s the access we’re given to the man beyond what we have seen, that means the most. The foundation of Marty, Life Is Short, is the home movies filmed by Short, his family and his friends over the years. Archival recordings from his childhood, photographs taken over the past three-quarters of a century and footage from holidays and behind the scenes shed light on someone who has made the bold decision to allow the public to have access to his past (albeit the most restrained amount possible, since he is still very much protective of his privacy as far as he can), which Kasdan curates into a vibrant, captivating mosaic that celebrates Short’s remarkable legacy, but most importantly shows him to be more than just an entertainer, but also someone much wiser and weathered than we often imagine, showing that behind even the most exuberant of personalities, there are personal battles that need to be fought.

Whether reading his book or watching this film, it becomes abundantly clear that Short is one of the most well-connected individuals in Hollywood, a fact that even surprises him. It is likely the result of the fact that he is eternally optimistic and has essentially realised that the only way to not only succeed in this business but actually thrive with some degree of longevity is to play a very specific game, which involves both ambition and confidence in equal measure. Marty, Life is Short highlights this brilliantly, since not only is it made by an acclaimed filmmaker who has been embedded in the industry for over half a century (and who is not only returning to filmmaking after over a decade, but making his very first documentary in the process – this shows how much Kasdan was motivated to do his friend’s story justice), but features a cavalcade of familiar faces, who do not show up merely to say that they participated in what is clearly a passion project for all involved, but purely to sing the praises of someone they absolutely adore. It is always a wonderful sign when we find that someone’s entire life can be told through the stories delivered by their closest friends, since it signals a person who has truly made a difference. Suddenly, we don’t see Tom Hanks as the most famous movie star of his generation, or Steven Spielberg as a world-renowned filmmaker, or Steve Martin as arguably the most important comedic actor of the past fifty years, but rather look at them as ordinary people, friends who were more than willing to pay tribute to someone they genuinely adore. Kasdan does very well in removing any sense of grandeur from these interviews, stripping these iconic figures of all their accolades and acclaim, and instead allowing them to simply exist in the context of Short’s story, showing their interactions over the years. Even if this film had not been designed as a tribute to Short, but rather as just a collection of home movies showing the lives of these people from behind closed doors, it would still be absolutely remarkable, with the candour and honesty on display being absolutely refreshing and one of the most clear indications that Kasdan was not interested in the same hackneyed techniques usually associated with the celebrity documentary.

Based on even the most cursory glance at both his life and career, it is clear that Short has more than enough material to justify a much longer documentary – and in the era of multi-hour documentary series in which entire lives are thrown on screen across multiple episodes, it takes a certain restraint to condense everything into merely 100 minutes. Yet, this is both a practical decision and one that carries a lot of meaning within itself – for an entertainer who has always been known to push himself to his limits, it says a lot about him that he chose to only focus on a few key moments, especially since the last thing Short would ever want to do is to engage in any form of completism. As we speak, he continues to work steadily – it is even noted in the film that he has rarely been more productive than he has been in the last decade, and it’s not at all a surprise to hear that many consider some of the recent work he’s done to be amongst his very best. Ultimately, this is a film that celebrates him as a performer and as a person, and while this does involve looking at the ebb and flow of his career, both from the perspective of financial and critical assessments of his work and the events that transpired in his private life (particularly in how he balanced all the various aspects of being a working actor while raising a family), it never feels like he is being put on a pedestal more than was necessary. Kasdan deftly avoids being too sentimental, which is likely the result of Short’s own input. Something we learn about him very quickly is that he is someone who has a deep affection for his friends and family, and who has been open about his personal struggles – but he is far from sentimental in the way that he would approve an overly saccharine, depressing account of his life. He resists going for the obvious conventions, and even the most harrowing of moments are presented as matter-of-fact, unfurnished admissions of the truth, rather than opportunities to court sympathy for someone who appreciates the sincerity but would never accept any kind of pity. It says so much about Short as a person that he consistently deflects away from any attempt to paint him as a victim, choosing instead to focus on his blessings, which is why it is so effortlessly easy to appreciate his incredible perspective.

There are many ways to look at Short and his career. Do we judge him just on his work, or also on what we know about him in between these iconic roles? In most cases, we would focus on only what he wanted us to see on screen – but yet, through both his astonishing book (which I highly recommend reading – it covers much of the same narrative territory, but goes much deeper into detail and provides context that is made more valuable through Short’s own words, which becomes a vital companion piece and an opportunity to explore even more of his incredible life) and his documentary, he dares to allow himself to be known more than ever before. It’s a simple film that doesn’t do anything particularly revolutionary – Kasdan is not someone well-versed in the intricate and experimental approaches taken by many modern documentaries, and he is not interested in making it seem like that was his intention. His premise was simple: make a film about someone he adores, allowing the world to see a new side of this absolute legend, and allowing his closest friends to pay tribute in any way they saw fit. The results are nothing if not spellbinding, with the film being a genuinely funny, insightful leap into the mind of someone who absolutely warrants every bit of admiration he’s received over the past fifty years. A singular voice who has been so wholeheartedly committed to marching to the beat of his own drum, regardless of the challenges he faced, it’s impossible not to fall madly in love with Short, which is the entire premise of this film and the reason it works so exceptionally well. Considering it centres on someone who endured so much tragedy in his life, Marty, Life Is Short always veers towards the eternally positive, allowing the sadness to exist on screen, but never defines our experience. It’s a perfect way to approach these elements, and we find that the director works closely with his subject to ensure that he feels appropriately represented on screen, which results in a bitingly funny and sincerely heartfelt ode to a true original, and someone who has more than earned his place as the very definition of a showbusiness legend.