The rise of colon cancer in men has been a worrying trend across economic and ethnic factors. Whether it’s because of poor food, longer life spans, or other factors is up to the scientists, but we’ve seen too many people pass away far too young because of this disease. André Is an Idiot comes from one of those stories, but rather than approaching it as a heavy subject, it wants you to laugh along with the pain. It makes the documentary exceedingly human and drives the point home. Fear, ignorance, or mere inaction over a simple procedure should not be the reason you lose your life.

What is André Is an Idiot about?

After living an unusual life of comedic adventures and surprising success as an advertiser, André Ricciardi receives terrible news. After years of skipping his colonoscopies, he’s been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Realizing this was an avoidable event, Ricciardi turns the camera on himself over the next few years as he tries to fight his cancer.

Along the way, he explores the ways people face death with joy while trying to milk every ounce of life. Ricciardi recounts his life’s triumphs and the unusual start to his family. He also gives us an incredible view inside the life of someone suffering from cancer, opening the door for a physical transformation that is rarely captured in such explicit detail. Yet to Ricciardi, his message is simple: do not make his mistakes.

The comedy makes André Is an Idiot a uniquely watchable cancer documentary.

There’s something about comedy that makes for the ultimate balm to tragedy. Figures like Tig Notaro have experienced this firsthand, yet to truly grapple with dark humor about the subject, you need to let some of the pain into the performance. The sadness that often accompanies films about cancer remains in André Is an Idiot, but Ricciardi refuses to be dragged down by it. Instead, he continually finds ways to pop the balloon hanging over his head before it gets too full of tears.

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Some of the shenanigans Ricciardi and best friend/soulmate Lee Einhorn attempt to do are incredible. The “death yell” sequence is brilliant and rawly emotional in the best way. They continue to travel across the country, taking a van into the salt flats and spending as much time together as possible. Even as he starts to feel the walls closing in, Ricciardi keeps his zany approach to life. He even explores the absurd ways some have sought to stay alive, including cryogenically freezing his body and having a “head transplant.”

André Is an Idiot director Tony Benna gives the film a boost through the use of stop-motion animation. As Ricciardi spews zany ideas, the stop-motion allows him to explore them in a style that feels pulled from Celebrity Death Match or Robot Chicken. These scenes are very funny, not only lightening the mood but also landing emotional moments with style.

As a health communication tool, it’s hard to imagine a more powerful advertisement for cancer screenings.

While the idea of a colonoscopy is worrying for some, there’s an unspoken underlying fear of homosexuality that some use as their excuse. Ricciardi does not have this issue. Instead, he acknowledges that his own beliefs put him in this scenario. He repeats his “no cops, no doctors” mantra until he realizes it’s the very reason he will probably die.

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Rather than shaming some audience members, he preaches his own innovative marketing. The idea of a “couple’s colonoscopy” is floated, and while he jokes that this is absurd, the concept could be a great tool to encourage some to get checked out. He even uses his marketing contacts to launch a campaign featuring fruits and foods that look like butts to remind people to schedule their next appointments.

The most obvious way that André Is an Idiot makes its point is through the interviews with his family. While his wife struggles with his upcoming passing, you can feel the real pain for his daughters. Even Ricciardi recognizes this point, telling us that he’s not scared of dying, but he is scared of leaving people behind who will mourn him. The thought of his actions causing them pain makes for some of the film’s most emotional scenes.

Is André Is an Idiot worth watching?

Yes, André Is an Idiot is not only one of the funnier documentaries I’ve ever seen, but it’s one that has an integral message attached. We have seen far too many people die far too young from colon cancer in recent years. A film like André Is an Idiot is even better because it combines the ability to spread knowledge with impeccable storytelling. It’s a very good documentary, and one that should leave quite an impression.

Watch André Is an Idiot in theaters now. Joint Venture distributes the A24-produced documentary.
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