THE STORY – Members of 90s comedy troupe The State reunite for a live tour, blending classic sketches with behind-the-scenes stories from their influential journey in comedy.
THE CAST – Kevin Allison, Michael Ian Black, Todd Holoubek, Robert Ben Garant, Michael Patrick Jann, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter & David Wain
THE TEAM – Matthew Perniciaro (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 110 Minutes
There is something immediately charming about “Long Live the State” in how filmmaker Matthew Perniciaro captures the rough exterior of New York in the late 80s, which breathed artistic life into those unconventional individuals who were a part of the formative comedy group. That grittiness, which was so intimidating to a bunch of college misfits, was equally hypnotic, fueling their desire to make a name for themselves there. While “The State” eventually made it past their college years and ran as a network sketch series (even if it wasn’t a lengthy one), its influence remains fundamental to a multitude of careers that have shaped comedy for future generations.
For those unfamiliar with The State, Perniciaro takes it back to how these eleven members bonded quickly with one another at NYU. The State was a massive ensemble featuring many names familiar to us now, such as Kevin Allison, Michael Ian Black, Todd Holoubek, Robert Ben Garant, Michael Patrick Jann, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, and David Wain. Audiences learn how these misfits eventually formed something stronger than friendship, as these eccentric comedic talents bonded by laughter and freedom to express their creativity. In a post “Saturday Night Live” world, sketch comedy was something many thought they could emulate during this period. What made The Stand so unique was rejecting replication and actually being influenced by how much of “SNL” they found unfunny.
Perniciaro constructs “Long Live the State” by assembling it like many other celebrity documentaries before it. It’s a time capsule of a film stocked to the brim with archive footage and photos of each phase of The State’s lengthy run and their start in the 90s. Each member gives lengthy testimonials talking about everything from how they fell into the world of sketch comedy, their aspirations, their relationships, and their reactions to the highs and lows of their career as a comedy troupe. Footage of sketches they reference is often played through a dated television set up as members of The State give context to what’s happening. The most interesting aspect of “Long Live the State” is seeing how a comedy troupe this massive could even function in the first place. The film ensures that every member’s perspective is accounted for, which only enriches the delving into the complexities of how they created their sketches. Audiences get to hear how Ian Black’s style differs from someone like Lennon’s. The time to delve into all of this makes it clear how the intricacies of the group dynamic, filled with their various personalities, would get in the way of choosing which sketches to perform and who would star in them.
It’s more than respectable that Perniciaro has reverence for each member of the troupe, but that reverence has him still giving each member’s backstory almost until the final half of the film, which does ruin the momentum at times especially when it gets into the thornier territory of “The Stand” amidst their failed transition from MTV to CBS. Funny how sobering retrospect is to these guys as they talk about that decision, which, from the perspective of those watching, now would agree was an obviously bad career move. That’s the thing about life; it plays out exactly as it was supposed to happen. This sentiment is embedded by Perniciaro, especially with how he focuses on their careers post “The Stand” and their eventual return to the stage during the recent SAG and WGA strikes. It’s not delightful hearing them talk about projects like “Reno 911” and “Wet Hot American Summer,” which, like their work on “The State,” was so far ahead in its time. The fact that, to this day, they are still working with one another in some form and have found success in their own right makes it even more heartwarming when the film focuses on their stage reunion. The Stand has collectively worked for over thirty years, bringing laughs from all the weird places their mind will go. While The Stand may not have the highest level of mainstream appeal, those who appreciate their work or are discovering them for the first time through “Long Live the State” will look at it as fondly as the members themselves.
