Was pretty good. A little light on the comedy. But the end was just hilarious, when the little token black baby was more grown lmao. Now was the token baby's mama, Chondas squeeze to?? Idk either lol
7 Reviews
So Raw and Truthful and Serendipitous
tami_loves_noles12 August 2023
I have been a fan of Chonda's work for a while. But within a couple of weeks of viewing this I heard a podcast where she shared how this came to be. She was approached about a making a documentary of her life on the road as a comedian. Many of the things that happened during the 3 years of filming were unexpected and as they occurred the focus of the documentary changed. Chonda's early life and her going through the loss of both of her sisters and surviving her father's mental health issues is well known, and she's always survived through her faith and comedy. Unfortunately as she became more famous and the travel became extensive her own marriage and children's lives suffered. In a way she was repeating what she'd learned.
But I don't know many people who have not had tragedy in their lives. And she continues to, through the help of therapy and medication, share her story to the benefit of 10s of 1000s of people.
She admits she wishes she'd chosen a different path, but the path of following Jesus, as those who make that choice know, is not easy. It's not meant to be. It's meant to be a sacrifice and it is.
But I don't know many people who have not had tragedy in their lives. And she continues to, through the help of therapy and medication, share her story to the benefit of 10s of 1000s of people.
She admits she wishes she'd chosen a different path, but the path of following Jesus, as those who make that choice know, is not easy. It's not meant to be. It's meant to be a sacrifice and it is.
Great movie !
karennations10 December 2015
Well done,A real view behind the life of Chonda Pierce . Sad at times but the message is, we can learn from our mistakes and God gives us the strength to walk through the hard times.If you are having a hard time that you are going through , this is a great movie to see because you walk away from the movie feeling encouraged that your not alone . Chonda regenerated some of the choices she made and had to live with the consequence's that where the results of the choices. She is open in sharing her weakness and dark times.But in the end God is in control even when we don't like what is going in our lives, and will never leave us.But will give us a hope to walk through the darkness.
Laughing in the Dark - a Light at the end of the tunnel
kathyincal-194137 May 2016
The documentary was a pleasant surprise. One might think it would consist of Christian comedian Chonda Pierce's performances only, but its main theme is about her life's struggles and how she overcame them through her faith in God. The movie title, Laughing in the Dark, really demonstrates Chonda's life story.
There are some great clips from her comedy routines sandwiched in between her honest and touching revelations about her troublesome past - a great way to write and direct the film as well as to make it interesting and entertaining. The audience comes away with sympathy for Chonda, but also satisfaction that she has overcome her trails by trusting in God to help her and ultimately, an example for us to follow. An excellent film.
There are some great clips from her comedy routines sandwiched in between her honest and touching revelations about her troublesome past - a great way to write and direct the film as well as to make it interesting and entertaining. The audience comes away with sympathy for Chonda, but also satisfaction that she has overcome her trails by trusting in God to help her and ultimately, an example for us to follow. An excellent film.
Mixed feelings about this documentary
kathyprice5 December 2016
I was not familiar with Chonda Pierce when I came across this documentary, so I don't have a lot of embodied fondness for her. And I'm not a Christian, so I don't have that connection with her message.
Having said that, I really enjoyed her humor. She is known as the Queen of Clean, and that is refreshing. I'm not opposed to unclean comedy, but I appreciate that someone is able to find plenty of humor in less risqué subject matters. It's probably good for humor to find comedy in everyday, non salacious subjects.
I have two gripes with the documentary: the amateur production values, and the story itself.
I read that Chonda gave the directing duties to a first-time documentarian. The editing is very awkward, which takes away from the story line and her stated message of hope. It's obviously very difficult to stitch together a coherent movie from such a wealth of footage. I wish it had been handed over to a more experienced director. She is now filming another movie with the same director. Hopefully he learned from his first attempt. If not, it's a pity.
The story is very sad. The comedian sacrificed her family for her career. That is never a good story. She has deep regrets about that. Her daughter won't talk to her. Her husband is dead of alcoholism. And her son seems shell-shocked by what happened to his happy family.
Chonda's frequent mentions of Jesus and the bible are like tonic to her fans. She says she is tired of Jesus being dragged through the mud by nonbelievers. Nobody drags Jesus through the mud. However, his teachings might lead some of his followers to consider a change of behavior.
One would wish she paid more attention to her family. When her husband stopped telling her about the son's soccer games because he knew it made her sad she was missing her son's life, it seems like Jesus might have told her to get off the tour bus, go home and tend to her family.
I'm not laying all the blame on her for what happened. But an absentee mother is never good for a family. I'm sure all who share her faith would agree with that, especially those who believe the family unit is the heart of society. If this documentary serves as a cautionary tale, and helps other parents stay inside their families and avoid divorce and jobs that require absence from the home, then this is a valuable documentary. But if the message is that Jesus has it all covered and we don't need to change our behavior, then the movie just mildly entertaining, and not much more than that, other than sad.
I wish Chonda and her son and her daughter much happiness and reconciliation in the future.
Having said that, I really enjoyed her humor. She is known as the Queen of Clean, and that is refreshing. I'm not opposed to unclean comedy, but I appreciate that someone is able to find plenty of humor in less risqué subject matters. It's probably good for humor to find comedy in everyday, non salacious subjects.
I have two gripes with the documentary: the amateur production values, and the story itself.
I read that Chonda gave the directing duties to a first-time documentarian. The editing is very awkward, which takes away from the story line and her stated message of hope. It's obviously very difficult to stitch together a coherent movie from such a wealth of footage. I wish it had been handed over to a more experienced director. She is now filming another movie with the same director. Hopefully he learned from his first attempt. If not, it's a pity.
The story is very sad. The comedian sacrificed her family for her career. That is never a good story. She has deep regrets about that. Her daughter won't talk to her. Her husband is dead of alcoholism. And her son seems shell-shocked by what happened to his happy family.
Chonda's frequent mentions of Jesus and the bible are like tonic to her fans. She says she is tired of Jesus being dragged through the mud by nonbelievers. Nobody drags Jesus through the mud. However, his teachings might lead some of his followers to consider a change of behavior.
One would wish she paid more attention to her family. When her husband stopped telling her about the son's soccer games because he knew it made her sad she was missing her son's life, it seems like Jesus might have told her to get off the tour bus, go home and tend to her family.
I'm not laying all the blame on her for what happened. But an absentee mother is never good for a family. I'm sure all who share her faith would agree with that, especially those who believe the family unit is the heart of society. If this documentary serves as a cautionary tale, and helps other parents stay inside their families and avoid divorce and jobs that require absence from the home, then this is a valuable documentary. But if the message is that Jesus has it all covered and we don't need to change our behavior, then the movie just mildly entertaining, and not much more than that, other than sad.
I wish Chonda and her son and her daughter much happiness and reconciliation in the future.
WOW!
kimberkm-7151215 February 2021
Absolutely one of the most inspirational documentaries I have ever seen! Thank you so much for sharing your life, your love, your pain, and most of all your devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As you know, you have inspired more people than you can ever imagine, adding one more right now! no matter who you are or your struggles in life, never give up never lose hope.... never lose faith!
No new material
lillilanda12 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Movie is essentially clips of Chonda's previous shows. If you've seen a few Chonda shows already, there won't be any new material. There is nothing about her early career - she goes straight from Minnie Pearl (which she often talks about) to a big success. There was no information about her family or career that I had not already heard in her live shows. It ends with a verrrrry long Q&A with B and C list celebrities. We walked out after nearly a HALF HOUR of random people - the mother from Duck Dynasty, some anchors, actors, etc - telling Chonda how much they loved her movie. Skip this and grab one of her older shows instead.
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