SXSW Review: The Gang’s All Here In ‘Kids In The Hall: Comedy Punks’

“We were all very much trying to prove to our dads that we were men… by dressing up as women!”

So says Scott Thompson of The Kids In The Hall, the Canadian comedy troupe that’s the subject of a new documentary.

Screening at SXSW before showing on Amazon Prime Video in two parts, The Kids In The Hall: Comedy Punks is an enjoyable insight into the life and work of five alternative comedians who took their show from stage to screen – with a few bumps along the way.

Director Reg Harkema combines archive footage and clips with modern day interviews, speaking to Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson separately as well as in a group. And if anyone can deliver pithy soundbites, it’s a bunch of successful comedy writers. Their comments often reflect the rebellious punk attitude of the title. “We used homosexuality as a weapon to bash squares,” is a particularly revealing line: not only is Thompson openly gay but the show was pretty radical in its depiction of queer-positive characters in the 1980s. Celebrity fans including Mae Martin, Jay Baruchel and Mike Myers comment on the effect the show had on them and their careers. Actor Eric McCormack is not the only one to joke about sexual confusion: “Anyone that says they didn’t have a little crush on Dave when he was [dressed] as certain female characters is just lying.” The group also affectionately share their impressions of producer Lorne Michaels before he arrives on screen: a playful way of introducing the man widely credited with discovering them.

It’s rather poignant seeing the five return to The Rivoli in Toronto, reminiscing about their early shows, intercut with shaky home video footage filmed from the audience back in the day. They’re as frank about their failures as their successes, whether it’s dodgy early performances or McCulloch and McKinney’s brush with Saturday Night Live. The tone becomes more serious when exploring the shooting of their movie, Brain Candy – the men were depressed, some weren’t even speaking to each other, and the movie tanked. But this story comes with a happy ending: Comedy Central re-runs won them new followers – including a lot of “goth girls with Daddy issues” – and gave the group new life.

This doc will be a gift to those fans – and even if you’re not a devotee, it’s an engaging portrait of friends whose persistence and rebellious spirit are still paying off.

Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks screened in the SXSW Documentary Spotlight section.