The “Crazy Old Lady of Comedy” talks Transitioning and Trailblazing in New Documentary Releasing Nationwide June 1st
By Scott Motisko
They say laughter is the best medicine, and no one may know that better than veteran comedian Julia Scotti, the self-proclaimed “Crazy Old Lady of Comedy”.
Born Rick Scotti, she knew something was not right her whole life, and made the bravest and boldest decision of her life: put a pause on her exemplary stand-up career where she was performing with the likes of Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, and become the woman she always knew was inside her. Now, the senior trans comedian returns to the stage and tells her story in the new documentary Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, arriving June 1st to kick off Pride Month.
Shot over a period of five years, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way tracks Julia’s triumphant comeback, the rough life on the road, and the complex process of reuniting with her children, as comedy becomes the shared language of identity, healing, and joy.
The directorial debut from Golden-Globe nominee Susan Sandler (Crossing Delancey), Julia Scotti: Funny That Way takes audiences on an entertaining emotional roller coaster in this tender, funny and triumphant comeback story.
The story begins in the comedy boom of the1980’s, where Rick Scotti was a busy guy– a headliner in clubs across the country– when he came to the dawning realization that nothing felt right. At a time when the words gender dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard, Rick’s true awakening at age forty-seven led to a year of hormonal treatments, surgery, and, ultimately a new identity as Julia Scotti.
And then everyone turned away—former wives, friends, family, comedy world buddies, and most painfully Julia was shut out from any contact with her children. She reinvented herself, spent a decade teaching, and then several years ago, stepped back on stage at an open mic and began her journey back to the world she loves. And just as she returned to comedy, her children reached out to her after 15 years of silence.
As Julia says, her comedy always has to be “fearless and honest”, and America can feel both in her performances. Since coming back to comedy in 2011, she has been named one of the Top Five Transgender Comedians in the Country by Advocate Magazine, and has performed at LGBTQ events across the country, and was one of the winners of the Laughlin Laugh Festival in Nevada.
Scotti introduced herself to national audiences on Season 11 of America’s Got Talent. Simon Cowell said that “you genuinely made me laugh”. She was the first transgender comedian to appear on national television and was a quarter-finalist on the show. But she wasn’t done yet. Scotti appeared on the Showtime Television Network Special, “More Funny Women of a Certain Age”, and colleagues have described her as, among other things, “a force of nature”, and “a comedy chainsaw flying through the room”.
Sandler takes the explosively funny and moving Julia away from the stage – prodding at the edges of her private life—revealing a story that is delicate, vulnerable, and real. Julia Scotti: Funny That Way allows audiences to experience an entertaining emotional roller coaster as they journey through this tender, funny and triumphant comeback story.
If laughter truly is the best medicine, we could all use a dose. So, sit back, relax, and have a few laughs to cure all your ills.
JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY will be available via VOD RELEASE on June 1,2021 and available on: iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, DirecTV, and more! PURCHASE LINK: https://geni.us/JuliaScottiFilm
Press Materials: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0wr8ookxd3uou9y/AADjOf3jtfkihg4dr_83W2RRa?dl=0
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z01ubBhiHD8
See Poster below
|
|
|