For those of you who don’t know, the 31st of March marked Transgender Day of Visibility, a worldwide event first observed in 2009 which celebrates trans and non-binary individuals, in addition to helping raise awareness of anti-trans discrimination. I suppose there’s no better day that Bohemia Media and playwright Susan Sandler could have chosen to introduce you all to your new favourite transgender comedian, a woman who has previously been introduced to audiences as “the crazy old lady of comedy” – Julia Scotti.
Funny That Way tells the story of Scotti, a stand-up comic, teacher and America’s Got Talent contestant who you may recognise from a small cameo role in last year’s Billy Eichner comedy Bros (2022). Back in the ‘80s, she toured comedy clubs all across the United States, her (dead) name appearing on line-ups next to the biggest names in American comedy at the time. Everything changed for Julia when, at the age of 47, she became awakened to her truth as a transgender woman – a truth that would, for a while, cost her everything from job opportunities to relationships to even her own family. Filmed over the course of 5 years, Funny That Way introduces us to a Julia who is clearly living a far more fulfilled life now than ever before, having returned to the comedy scene as her reinvented self and reunited with her (now adult) children, Dan and Emma – the former having followed in his mother’s stand-up steps. Through a mixture of new interviews, archive material, animation and fly-on-the-wall footage, this documentary makes for compelling and endearing viewing whether you’re familiar with Scotti’s stand-up or not.
Its document of old age as a transgender person, and by Julia herself – whose remarks never failed to be relatable, profound and, most of all, witty.
To put it simply, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way is nothing short of fantastic, a heartfelt portrait of transition in later life as well as a moving tale of a woman’s regeneration of her life as a comedian, parent and human being. It’s a wonderful little picture which presents the whole gamut of human emotion; it’s sad, heartwarming, life-affirming and deeply funny – and yes, Julia Scotti is funny. Throughout the course of Funny That Way, you’ll experience many varied stand-up routines, some better, some worse – a stand-out sequence features Scotti and her son revisiting some of her pre-transition club performances, many of which are full of extended homophobic and transphobic gags.
Though the story of Scotti’s life and career would undoubtedly play well as a biopic, this isn’t a clean-cut Hollywood tale of the triumph of a heroic underdog – this is real life, after all, and Julia’s story is messy and full of difficulties and hardships just as all of our own lives are, and real life doesn’t always come with a perfect three-act-structure and ending where everything is resolved. In fact, that’s partially what makes Funny That Way feel so refreshing from the get-go, because her down-to-Earth nature and the film’s rather frank portrayal of her home life and relationships makes it all the more apparent that Julia’s experiences, whilst being a successful stand-up comedian, are those which many queer people go through during their lifetimes. Julia Scotti inspires not only because she overcame the odds in her life, but also because her life is now complete in a way that most, if not all, transgender people strive for; a wholeness of self that is inherent to the transsexual experience.
If you hadn’t gathered by now, the writer of this review is herself a trans woman, and one who felt seen by this film, its document of old age as a transgender person, and by Julia herself – whose remarks never failed to be relatable, profound and, most of all, witty. If you’ve even been slightly interested by anything I’ve said in this write-up, I highly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch Julia Scotti: Funny That Way.
Julia Scotti: Funny that Way is out now on Amazon Video
