CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP Review

Conan O'Brien didn't have any problem with notoriety before he took over The Tonight Show in 2009. But his closely watched feud with NBC and their messy divorce the following year catapulted him to a cult-like level of stardom as fans took to the twitterverse to demand he not be shat on. Between leaving NBC and signing a deal with TBS, Conan took to the road with his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour; a 32-city music and comedy show of Vaudevillian proportions. Director Rodman Flender took his camera along to chronicle a pre-Team Coco Conan, genuinely afraid that he was one wrong step away from the end of his career.

At its heart, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is a concert doc. Much of the film takes us into the theater to enjoy the musical comedy antics of Conan, his band, a cast of star guests, and a masturbating panda. Flender was afforded incredible access to Conan and the plentiful behind-the-scenes footage is where the film really gets interesting. Conan loves to run his mouth (so much that the threat of losing his voice is a constant source of drama) and the portrait painted in his own words of such a famous man at a turning point is fascinating. Whether he is taking out his aggression by beating up on his brother or showing some rare genuine appreciation for his hard working assistant, there is no doubt that this is Conan being himself - and what more can you ask for?

In retrospect, it seems a bit silly to have spent so much energy worrying if Conan was really on the precipice of disaster. The public perception of being forced out of NBC only helped Conan build momentum to make his TBS show the hit it has become. But even with the third act drama spoiled, the film remains a compelling look at Conan's process and personality - and a good chance to see Conan doing Vaudeville proud.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop rolls out across the US today (June 24, 2011).