Vague Visages’ Sorry/Not Sorry review contains minor spoilers. Cara Mones and Caroline Suh’s 2023 documentary features Louis C.K., Jen Kirkman and Megan Koester. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews.

Sorry/Not Sorry, a documentary about comedian Louis C.K.’s sexual misconduct, sort of feels like an underwhelming trip to the zoo. In this case, the comedy industry functions as a caged environment, with people pointing and staring from afar, while the controversial subject serves as a silent beast beyond reach. Produced by The New York Times and directed by Cara Mones and Caroline Suh, Sorry/Not Sorry informs viewers about Louis C.K.’s disturbing off-stage behavior through jaw-dropping testimonies from female victims and colleagues — such as Jen Kirkman, Abby Schachner and Megan Koester — but the absence of the subject complicates the viewing experience when assessing his after-the-fact redemption story.

In November 2017, The New York Times published a story about Louis C.K.’s long history of masturbating in front of female colleagues after asking for permission. The comedian confirmed the allegations made by five women and ultimately returned to Manhattan’s Comedy Cellar in August 2018 to test a new routine. Nearly six years later, Louis C.K. remains one the most influential figures in the industry, as he self-distributes his specials and won a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. In Sorry/Not Sorry, Mones and Suh shine a light on female comedians and victims, with the aforementioned Kirkman and Koester explaining their annoyance and disgust, respectively, about past experiences. And while male interviewees do indeed appear in the documentary, such as comedian Michael Ian Black and Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman, the commentaries from female figures on the fringes of the comedy world offer the most insight, in terms of the big picture.

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Structurally and aesthetically, Mones and Suh take a straightforward approach in Sorry/Not Sorry. They divide the documentary into seven sections while covering the main talking points that have already been reported, with the third chapter, “Open Secret,” underscoring the complicated nuances of the industry. From the perspective of female comics like Kirkman and Koester, any pushback against Louis C.K. might’ve resulted in less work or no gigs whatsoever. And Schachner’s testimonies add another complicated layer to the documentary as she recalls being shamed by comedian Dave Chappelle for not immediately ending a phone conversation with Louis C.K. as he masturbated. Meanwhile, Black tries to find personal clarity while implicating himself in the overall hypocrisy of the industry. There’s plenty of truth in Sorry/Not Sorry; however, most comedians would presumably acknowledge that comments made during live stand-up shows represent a version of personal truths rather than pure truth. For example, male comics like Chappelle and Louis C.K. base their routines on provoking the audience through polished performances. So, back to the zoo analogy: the use of stand-up clips in Sorry/Not Sorry feels like zoo visitors shaming the caged animals for being caged animals. Of course, the big picture is much more complicated, especially when male comedians get personal and use their influence to disrupt the careers of female colleagues (and vice versa).

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Sorry/Not Sorry is fascinating with its exploration of ethics, but Mones and Suh’s documentary essentially plays out like a CliffsNotes version of The New York Times’ 2017 report about Louis C.K.’s sexual misconduct. The interviewees collectively furrow their brows and raise their hands in frustration but unsurprisingly don’t make any grand statements about what needs to change within the comedy industry moving forward. And perhaps that’s because the film’s central issue (masturbation in front of colleagues) is a Louis C.K problem — not an industry-wide problem (presumably). So, Sorry/Not Sorry would’ve benefitted from more segments about the psychology involved with Louis C.K.’s behavior and the cultural trend of Americans trying to silence or “cancel” people with opposing views.

Sorry/Not Sorry released theatrically on July 12, 2024 via Greenwich Entertainment.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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