CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP: making lemonade out of a $32 million lemon

I learnt three important facts from watching this 2011 documentary:
1. Conan O'Brien needs a lot of make-up to look even halfway decent on tv.
2. Every word that falls from Conan O' Brien's lips is hilarious if you work for him.
3. Conan O'Brien really can't stop.

The tv talk show host puts the Energiser Bunny to shame with his relentless energy. The man is perpetually in motion and always eager to slot even more work into the already crowded schedule of his first ever stand-up comedy tour of the US and Canada.
The "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on TV" tour was his response to last year's late night tv fiasco which resulted in his departure as host of NBC's 'The Tonight Show' (with a $32 million pay-off) after refusing to move to a midnight start to make room for a new show starring his predecessor, Jay Leno. Director Rodman Flender went along for the ride, recording the creation, planning and presentation of the live show and reportedly amassing some hundred and forty hours of film which he miraculously succeeded in cutting down to the eighty nine minutes presented here.
Kaleidoscoping so much material into such a short running time necessarily involves leaving out a lot of stuff, and Flender has chosen to concentrate on the back stage action, so anyone hoping to see large chunks of Conan's show will have to wait for another DVD. The camera catches Conan in the kitchen with his wife, in his home office looking for inspiration with his team of writers, and in soulless rehearsal halls testing out the material and auditioning dancers - the Cocettes. Then it's off on the road, opening in Eugene, Oregon before criss-crossing North America by bus and private jet for an endurance-testing 32 dates. Along the way Conan seizes every opportunity to make more work for himself, adding in extra shows, introducing acts at Bonaroo, and insisting on greeting the crowds of fans waiting at the stage door, then climbing onto his tour bus and complaining about the endless demands on his time.
Through it all O'Brien comes across as understandably angry over his treatment by NBC and Leno's behaviour, driven to reconnect with the audiences and applause that was his right as a tv talk show host, arrogant and funny. He's not as funny as his entourage thinks he is but there are a few laugh out loud lines and other moments that'll make you smile. The arrogance is mostly kept in check but there's flashes of entitlement, and cruelty towards the lesser beings whose function is to service him.
As a behind the scenes snapshot of a very specific moment in US pop culture, and an (apparently) candid look at one of the biggest names in tv entertainment (at least he was in 2010) CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP is well worth the investment of 90 minutes of your time. But don't invest money in purchasing this film because it's something you'll be happy to watch once and equally happy never to watch again.