"I'm a very flawed and imperfect man," the late comic says in archival footage used in 'Come What May', an upcoming film about his life
NEED TO KNOW
- The late comedian Ralphie May’s life is being remembered in the new documentary Come What May
- His widow, Lahna Turner, directed the film with documentarian Dave Gantz
- The documentary explores May’s rise to fame, his personal struggles and his devotion to stand-up comedy
The widow of Ralphie May is offering a deep dive into the late comedian's life in the new documentary Come What May.
Lahna Turner, 50, who is also a stand-up comedian, directed the upcoming film with documentarian Dave Gantz, and it explores who May was and how his "large personality and even larger size set him apart from the rest and helped skyrocket him to fame," according to the official synopsis. The father of two died of cardiac arrest in October 2017 at age 45. (At the time of his death, he and Turner were in the process of divorcing.)
The first-look trailer begins with archival footage of May looking into the camera and saying, "If you tell my story, be honest. The good and bad. I'm a very flawed and imperfect man."
Credit: Michael Schwartz/WireImage
The trailer then shows scenes of May performing in large venues, in small comedy clubs and on Last Comic Standing, before jumping to an interview with Jay Leno. "He was a common man, with uncommon inabilities and insights," Leno says.
Credit: Sound & Vision
After various clips of May performing are shown, Tiffany Haddish praises him, saying, "He knew how to tap your soul to make you be like, 'Okay. It's gonna be alright.' "
Jay Mohr, the Last Comic Standing host for the season in which May competed, remembers May being as powerful as a grenade. "It was 'Boom!' It was just detonation. It was really like pulling a pin on a grenade." (May competed on the first season of the reality TV series in 2003 and came in second place.)
The trailer then pivots and explores the darker elements of May's life, as he confesses, "I had a lot of trauma growing up, and then I started masking that with weed and food." A clip of Leno reiterates that point, with the former Tonight Show host saying, "His pain was directed towards himself."
In one archival clip, May says, "It's time to tell myself the truth. I'm a food addict." But the trailer then cuts to Turner saying in an interview that he told her he was no longer using pills, but "he did a great job of hiding them from me."
Throughout the latter half of the trailer, May declares how devoted he is to stand up: "I love stand up. It's fantastic. It's the greatest job," he says, and later adds, "A lot of comedians want to be TV stars. I just wanted to be a great comedian."
Credit: Sound & Vision
The trailer concludes with director Kevin Smith celebrating his friend's ability to make audiences "lose [themselves] in laughter" when watching May. Turner, who married May in 2006 and shared two children with him, then describes him as "larger than life," adding that he "never did anything with subtlety, everything was big" and "he spread a lot of laughter and a lot of joy."
Credit: Sound & Vision
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Come What May, which includes decades of archival footage of May, chronicles how the "loving husband and father fell victim to enablers, addiction, and abuse, causing his bright light to burn out far too quickly," according to the press release. The tribute honors the "flawed and complicated man who brought joy to millions, but pain and heartbreak to those who knew him best."
The first roadshow screening of Come What May is on April 28 in Los Angeles. More information on screening tickets is available on the official website.
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