Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story

Eddie Izzard is one of our most enigmatic, inventive and revered comedians, and this documentary by director Sarah Townsend, Izzard’s ex-girlfriend, is an homage to his life so far. Perhaps because of her relationship with her subject, Townsend has been given incredible access to the comic, his friends and family. He talks about his transvestism, his naked ambition and, most movingly, the impact the death of his mother had on him as a child and as a performer.

With such rare material intercut with unparalleled backstage footage, this should have been a wonderful warts-and-all portrait of one of the finest minds in comedy. However, Townsend is too reverential and, due to the fact that most of the film was shot around his ‘Sexie’ tour in 2003, it feels dated – more like a DVD extra than a movie. There are poignant moments, but it looks clumsily thrown together, with the end product feeling naggingly undercooked.