Media/Arts

Comedy Warriors: Stand-up Rehabilitation

Comedy Warriors: Healing Through Humor is a documentary film featuring five severely wounded service members—four men and one woman—from the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts, with injuries ranging from burns to multiple amputations. They were selected from numerous submissions to embark on an exciting new mission: stand-up comedy. With help from their own individual comedy writer mentors, and coaching from A-List comedians like Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Bob Saget (Full House), B.J. Novak (The Office), and Lewis Black (Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil), they were guided in creating their own personal stand-up routines, and fine-tuned until ready to perform at LA’s top comedy clubs. You get to know each of the Comedy Warriors intimately, as the documentary visit their hometowns and introduces their families.

Each warrior has their own poignant story to share as it becomes clear how vital humor has been in their rehabilitation process. You witness how their sense of humor and learning stand-up gives them each a new kind of courage, and you see that by sharing their stories and laughing about their struggles with the audience, the emotional pain is lifted. This film proves to be truly inspirational. The Comedy Warriors learn to disarm the stares and their struggles with humor, making both themselves and others more comfortable. The theme of triumph over obstacles prevails throughout this film, as the Comedy Warriors confess their darkest moments, and then embrace the power of their physical circumstances, creating joy and laughter in their lives. 

— Source: comedywarriors.com