‘Never Be Done’ Film Review

Never Be Done: The Richard Glen Lett Story, directed by Roy Tighe, is a documentary film that follows the life and comedy career of stand-up comedian Richard Glen Lett. The relatable feature not only dives deep into Richard Lett’s career as a comic, but it also does an excellent job of showing us what went on behind the scenes and most importantly how the two intertwine. 

The film captures seven years of Lett’s life. At the beginning, Lett was falling deep into alcoholism; he would drink before, during and after his shows — sometimes even drink while driving. It was clear from both his daily demeanor and his comedy sets that he was deeply unhappy and angry; his relationship with his teenage daughter was not where he wished it was. Something changed when Richard was diagnosed with cancer and given a second chance. It was then that Richard went to rehab and got clean. Seeing his journey to sobriety was truly inspirational. 

The documentary does an impeccable job of documenting Lett’s personal story of recovery and showing us how his comedy progressed with his stages in life. The Richard at the end of the film was clearly a different person than we previously got to know. Never Be Done certainly advocates for spending time with family and living life to the fullest — which isn’t always what you think it means.

Something I was thinking about during the film was the stigma that comes with being an artist — how artists tend to feel they do their best work during their worst times. It was clear from this film that that is not always the case. Lett was not everyone’s cup of tea when he was going through the worst of his alcoholism and he was more than capable of being hilarious and creative upon recovery which is often something artists fear. As both an artist and someone who struggles with mental illness, I greatly appreciated this sentiment.

Never Be Done is an inspiring story executed well through its direction and cinematography. It is clear that the crew worked extremely hard for many years to tell Lett’s story and it paid off. If you are a fan of memoir-like documentaries, a fan of stand-up comedy or just looking for something that is worth the watch, I highly recommend checking out Never Be Done.

Go to NeverBeDone.com to watch the film.

By Blair Krassen @blairlyawake