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Marc by Sofia
Film
FilmNR2026
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution...
Directed by Nick Davis
Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, and other entertainment icons got their start in a 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell. Featuring interviews with the surviving cast members, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, and more, the film recounts a pivotal moment in comedy history, in hilarious, moving, and inspiring detail. From TMDB
102 reactions from 2 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 1, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
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Sentiment labels for these sources are still being hand-checked; no score yet.
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 21 | 0 | 66 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 15 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What people are saying
A written summary appears once the title has a score.
At a glance
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution... is a 2026 documentary comedy film, directed by Nick Davis, starring Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Victor Garber.
- 70 people have posted about this film on Bluesky, Mastodon
- posts span Sep 27, 2018 to Nov 1, 2026
Assembled from TMDB, Wikidata and Steam fields and our own counts, nothing written by a model. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
102 public posts have mentioned You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution... so far, but it needs 10 opinionated reactions from checked sources before it gets a score. Seen it? Post your take.
Critics, per Wikipedia
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 35 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. Variety said it was "an exuberant and essential doc," with Owen Gleiberman writing "the niftiness of Davis's film is that it's about Godspell and it's about something that's bigger than Godspell." Of the challenges of making a film about a production with no footage, Gleiberman comments that Davis "makes ingenious ways to fill the void... witty animated sequences... makes canny use of [Martin] Short's cassette tape..... It's not anything you can prove. Yet there's passionate testimony from the likes of Mike Meyers and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who hails the show as the "'27…
From the “Critical response” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 102 · most liked firstTarantino movies (Jackie Brown excepted) are the most You Had To Be There movies ever made
neutral · AI labelView post →Imagine meeting the Artemis II astronauts and they’re constantly talking in Moon memes. They have the tightest group chat ever called You Had to Be There. Someone trips and they go “Cratered!” and high-five like a movie basketball team.
neutral · AI labelView post →Went to my first ever TIFF screening yesterday and it was the perfect movie for me. “You Had To Be There” tells of the ICONIC Canadian cast of Godspell which featured Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin and Paul Shaffer as the MD. Great flick. Great night. #TIFF50
positive · AI labelView post →Christy @christylemire.bsky.social and Alonso @aduralde.bsky.social are razzle-dazzled by You Had to Be There, an ebullient documentary about the legendary 1972 Toronto production of Godspell. #filmsky 📽
neutral · AI labelView post →the stickiest idea in any #TIFF movie for me is a moment near the end of You Had to Be There, the documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell that helped launch massive future stars like Gilda Radner and Martin Short, and others whose careers dwindled or never reached the same heights:
neutral · AI labelView post →White dot, back and forth on the screen. It was fun, I tell you! #ExplainVintageTechnology #HashTagGames #Pong #YouHadToBeThere
neutral · AI labelView post →FORGOTTEN ISLAND - chemistry, friction, trust, and an emotional reason for why they need each other. THE CHRISTOPHERS - Falls short, the execution never quite jells. YOU HAD TO BE THERE - Fascinating and what a coincidence! SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - A sturdy, bucolic production. #lastfourwatched
positive · AI labelView post →Finally, YOU HAD TO BE THERE, the doc about how the cast of the 1972 Toronto production of GODSPELL changed comedy forever, is out. Don’t miss it. www.goaheadsumi.com/review-you-h...
positive · AI labelView post →YOU HAD TO BE THERE (2025) Streaming: November 20, 2026 VOD/Digital (Apple, Amazon, Fandango, etc.) #YouHadToBeThere whentostream.com/documentary-...
neutral · AI labelView post →Toronto! I'm introducing tonight's 7:15pm screening of Nick Davis' immensely entertaining documentary YOU HAD TO BE THERE at @tiffnet.bsky.social, and hosting a Q&A with producer Tom Powers and the legendary Jayne Eastwood afterward. There are still a few tickets left. Grab one while you can!
neutral · AI labelView post →V. Woolf's Night & Day ★★★ Delicatessen ★★★★★ You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution ★★★★ If I Go Will They Miss Me ★★★ Traces of Home ★★★ House of Fish (not on Letterboxd!) ★★★ My new movie site: OtherPeoplesFavoriteMovies.com #letterboxdfriday#lastfourwatched
positive · AI labelView post →Last night I saw "You Had To Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way)", with Godspell alum Eugene Levy and Jayne Eastwood hosting a Q&A. Hilarious, moving, and very Canadian.
positive · AI labelView post →At TIFF to see a re-screening of the Godspell retrospective documentary "You Had To Be There". Will be interesting to see how they keep it engaging without any footage to work with.
neutral · AI labelView post →FORGOTTEN ISLAND - chemistry, friction, trust, and an emotional reason for why they need each other. THE CHRISTOPHERS - Falls short, the execution never quite jells. YOU HAD TO BE THERE - Fascinating and what a coincidence! SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - A sturdy, bucolic production. #filmsky
positive · AI labelView post →"You Had to Be There" looks at that production, the artistic community that came together around it, and the way that community revolutionized comedy for decades to follow. Highly recommended.
positive · AI labelView post →Listening to Conan and Martin Short is on and I keep going in my head “WHEN DO I FUCKING GET TO SEE YOU HAD TO BE THERE?!?” Because I want to see the documentary about the Toronto Godsoell cast.
neutral · AI labelView post →Lorrie Morgan: “I Guess You Had To Be There”
neutral · AI labelView post →Gilda Radner was a heroine of Jane Mendelsohn’s. Learning she dated Martin Short during Godspell sparked a question: “What was that like?” Jane & Nick Davis discuss You Had to Be There on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand. Listen: free WFMU app → September 26 archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Why did Toronto’s Godspell attract so much comedic talent? Nick Davis found a clue in the script. Nick Davis & Jane Mendelsohn discuss their documentary You Had to Be There on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand. Listen: free WFMU app → September 26 archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →If you’ve got a local independent movie theater and they’re showing YOU HAD TO BE THERE, a documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell where Victor Garber (briefly) first played Jesus, and also starred Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Gilda Radner, you should go see that.
positive · AI labelView post →I’ve never seen it either, but I’ve always suspected that it’s a You Had To Be There (and under 12) movie. So, I’ll probably never see it so I never have to have an opinion about it
neutral · AI labelView post →all the recording devices get obliterated once the showstopper hits so its a You Had To Be There type experience
positive · AI labelView post →Hey I just went on appts and preordered You Had To Be There the Documentary about the Canadian cast of Godspell.
positive · AI labelView post →I’ve read and heard about this production tangentially for years in the histories of so many talented Canadian performers. Excited to watch this doc that delves into it :D Now Watching: You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution… (2026) app.trakt.tv/movies/you-h...
positive · AI labelView post →New - Gaza exposé NAZA, Toronto Godspell doc YOU HAD TO BE THERE, Amazon horror BEWARE BOIUNA, Tom Cruise is Innaritu's DIGGER, Romain Gavras' SACRIFICE, Marianne Faithful doc BROKEN ENGLISH in limited release, more! Now playing in Toronto: letterboxd.com/torontoplex/... #toOpening
neutral · AI labelView post →This week we had Primetime, Heart of the Beast, and You Had to Be There on our list before listing the nominees for Grammy Record of the Year 2019. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... #filmsky #moviesky #musicsky
neutral · AI labelView post →Hastings High School #parkrun Nowhere near Hastings with a Monaco vibe 🤷 #youhadtobethere
neutral · AI labelView post →Just felt cute really… #youhadtobethere #selflove #selfrespect ❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →You Had To Be There
neutral · AI labelView post →21-25: Our Hero Balthazar If I Go Will They Miss Me The Incomer You Had to Be There Klara and the Sun
neutral · AI labelView post →YOU HAD TO BE THERE
neutral · AI labelView post →A Pirate Looks At Forty - specifically, the version on the live You Had To Be There album.
neutral · AI labelView post →- YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING adds Varsity, Market Square, Scarborough, more, holds at Scotia, Yonge & Eglinton, Empress Walk, more - YOU HAD TO BE THERE has one more show at Hot Docs (Sat) - YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER holds at Lightbox, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas, more #toRelease
neutral · AI labelView post →On Deck at Hot Docs - Surveillance doc THE SANDBOX, Ralph Fiennes in FOUR QUARTETS, Dan Savage's HUMP! fest, art doc JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER, museum doc THE THEFT, another chance for UNION TOWN and YOU HAD TO BE THERE, free LIBRARIANS, VINCENT PRICE: WHAT KEEPS US ALIVE + Victoria Price. #toRep
neutral · AI labelView post →- YOU HAD TO BE THERE leaves Fox, has another show at Hot Docs (Sun) - YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER adds Yonge & Dundas, Eglinton Town, Richmond Hill, holds at Lightbox (35mm), Varsity #toRelease
neutral · AI labelView post →Indie Doc Success- 150 Theaters Nationwide. Director Nick Davis discusses his new documentary "You Had to Be There" featuring cast members from the 1970s SNL tv show. See the full interview: https://www.westdoconline.com/post/documentary-you-had-to-be-there
neutral · AI labelView post →I might have got emotional watching them all reunite and sing the prologue from heart around the piano. YOU HAD TO BE THERE: HOW THE TORONTO GODSPELL IGNITED THE COMEDY REVOLUTION boxd.it/gHVBY7
positive · AI labelView post →Releases - YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER, NAZA and DEAR YOU continue at Lightbox, NAZA and YOU HAD TO BE THERE arrive at Fox, YOU HAD TO BE THERE pops up at Hot Docs, BLACK ZOMBIE, A BREED APART, RUN TERRY RUN and OTHER MOMMY open at Carlton, BEWARE BOIUNA continues at Revue. #toRelease #toRep
neutral · AI labelView post →Next week is shaping up to be an all-timer week of movies. I've got 47 shorts and features at After Dark, PLUS I've got tickets for: Primetime The Crime Genius You Had to Be There Beware Boiúna
neutral · AI labelView post →Man. Homestuck was one of those You Had to Be There kinds of things (celebratory).
neutral · AI labelView post →I went to the AFI Silver and saw a documentary. Tomorrow, I'm going back to the AFI Silver to watch a different documentary. (The History of Concrete and You Had to Be There, respectively.)
neutral · AI labelView post →Releases - NAZA and YOU HAD TO BE THERE open plus HA-CHAN SHAKE YOUR BOOTY and DEAR YOU arrive at Lightbox, BEWARE BOIUNA opens at Revue, DIGGER and SACRIFICE open plus FORGOTTEN ISLAND, STUNT DRIVER, HA-CHAN SHAKE YOUR BOOTY and TEENAGE SEX & DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA all continue at Carlton. #toRep
neutral · AI labelView post →I saw YOU HAD TO BE THERE today, and if you are a person of my age who grew up on SCTV and SNL it is a movie for you. Plus, I am still amazed that we have the @northparktheatre.bsky.social here. It is an absolute treasure that should be supported at every opportunity
positive · AI labelView post →You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution Just absolute catnip for me, a comedy and musical nerd
positive · AI labelView post →I will probably watch YOU HAD TO BE THERE at least three times at the @northparktheatre.bsky.social
positive · AI labelView post →this is a You Had to Be There movie
neutral · AI labelView post →Interesting new podcast series, You Had To Be There - debut episode has to do with The Last Waltz for fans of the movie and The Band #music #TheLastWaltz #TheBand
neutral · AI labelView post →"Now it'll be really exciting to see if the water starts boiling soon." I am DYING 😆🤣 #YouHadToBeThere
neutral · AI labelView post →This past week I listened to: Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel Jimmy Buffett - You Had To Be There Jon Butcher - Pictures From The Front, Wishes Mary Chapin Carpenter - Come On Come On, State Of The Heart, Stones In The Road Johnny Cash - The Legend Of Johnny Cash #MusicSky
neutral · AI labelView post →Releases - YOU HAD TO BE THERE plays once more at Hot Docs, FJORD and WICKER continue at Fox, LA BOLA NEGRA (35mm), POSSIBLE LOVE, FJORD and YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER continue at Lightbox, DIGGER and KLARA & THE SUN continue at Carlton. #toRelease #toRep
neutral · AI labelView post →Documentary YOU HAD TO BE THERE Digital Streaming Release Date Revealed whentostream.com/documentary-...
neutral · AI labelView post →Showtimes for 10/22: * Atonement - 1:35pm * Bad Apples - 3:45pm * Buddy - 4:15pm * Clean Hands - 8:30pm * Filipiñana - 6:15pm * The History of Concrete - 6pm * If I Go Will They Miss Me - 4:05pm * The Musical - 1:45pm * The North - 1:30pm * You Had to Be There - 8:20pm 🎟️: lumierecinemala.com
neutral · AI labelView post →On Deck at Hot Docs - Rocky Horror doc STRANGE JOURNEY, the original FRANKENSTEIN (1931) via Midtown Matinees, Reel Rock climbing films, classic animation by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart, criminal case doc BABY DOE, recent releases BLACK ZOMBIE, YOU HAD TO BE THERE and NAZA. #toRep
neutral · AI labelView post →Judd Apatow's Surprise Email. Nick Davis tells Chuck about his communication that led to his new documentary "You Had to Be There." Watch the full interview here: https://www.westdoconline.com/post/documentary-you-had-to-be-there
neutral · AI labelView post →* You Had to Be There - 6:05pm (2/2) 🎟️: lumierecinemala.com
neutral · AI labelView post →The Joyful Spirit of Improv and Finding Your Tribe. Nick Davis discusses his new documentary "You Had to Be There" with Westdoc Online. See the full interview at: https://www.westdoconline.com/post/documentary-you-had-to-be-there
neutral · AI labelView post →* You Had to Be There - 1:40pm (2/2) 🎟️: lumierecinemala.com
neutral · AI labelView post →@wankstudios.bsky.social was reppin for the 304s at Flip It & Reverse It at Club Switch this past Thur! There was kinky nurses, pony play, Ghostface, Baphomet & I made an appearance as Roq Starrr... we was giving you WHORERR honey, horror! NO PHOTOS. YOU HAD TO BE THERE. IYKYK
neutral · AI labelView post →And ticket secured to You Had to Be There, the Toronto Godspell production doc :D
positive · AI labelView post →Releases - THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE and RUN TERRY RUN at Fox, YOU HAD TO BE THERE at Hot Docs, FJORD, NAZA, MISTY GREEN and YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER at Lightbox, DIGGER and YOU CAN'T LEAVE at Carlton. #toRelease #toRep
neutral · AI labelView post →
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