Catherine O’Hara: All of Us Shine
2021 · 4m · Canada
Directed by Hart Snider
Genres: biography, documentary
Tones: humorous, theatrical
Comedian Catherine O'Hara lifts fellow performers from sketch stages to beloved ensemble films and series.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
A hagiography dressed up as a doc—this is exactly the kind of consensus-safe celebrity tribute that makes me itch. There's nothing here that interrogates the mythology; it's just O'Hara's generosity repackaged as heartwarming content.
A formally elegant portrait of mentorship that situates itself squarely in the tradition of the performer-appreciation doc, with careful attention to how ensemble comedy itself becomes a lineage passed down through generations. The theatrical tone mirrors its subject's world with real sophistication.
The choice to let O'Hara's own voice and humor carry the narrative—rather than burying it under talking heads—is what transforms this from a standard NFB profile into something that feels genuinely intimate about the specific alchemy of ensemble building.