Lily Tomlin, Robin Tyler, Margaret Cho & more queer comedy legends get the last laugh in new doc
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution. Tyler’s deadpan delivery of coming out in 1958 at the age of 16 is one of many gems captured by director Page Hurwitz in a film that will likely become part of the queer cultural canon.
With a starry lineup including icons like Lily Tomlin and newer voices like Patti Harrison, the interwoven commentaries and historic footage provide a framework for the previously produced Netflix comedy special, Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration, filmed live in 2022 at Long Angeles’ Greek Theater and featuring dozens of queer comedians.
While Stand Out was primarily about the punchline, Outstanding goes one step further, showing how queer comedy — rooted in both joy and resistance — has been at the center of historical events from the Stonewall Riots to the AIDS crisis, and why in today’s political climate getting the last laugh is just as important.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.They helped turn the tide for a community that was once relegated to being the butt of the joke to leading the wave of groundbreaking comedy.
Playwright and producer Roger Q. Mason, known for their play Lavender Men and a self-proclaimed comedy nerd, is featured often in Outstanding, giving historical context. “Discussing history is about fortifying the present for the future.
