The Ralph Handel Story

Release Date: 2006-06-19

Overview: Co-directed by Benny and Josh Safdie, this deadpan mock-documentary follows Ralph Handel, a buttoned-down office worker who spends his nights bombing on the open-mic circuit. Staged as cinéma vérité that edges into performance art—Safdie performed the disastrous sets in real clubs—the film channels Andy Kaufman’s anti-comedy and the self-reflexive diary mode of David Holzman’s Diary to sketch a sly portrait of a life quietly coming undone.

Rating: 0 / 10

Cast

Benny Safdie

as Ralph Handel

Josh Safdie

as The Director (voice)

Peter Rand

as The Boss (voice)