Does comedy attract emotional fuck-ups or does a comedy career turn people into emotional fuck-ups? It’s a question that has been asked more and more in recent years. There were umpteen shows about mental health in Edinburgh this summer and I also tackled the subject in my book, plug plug, Beyond A Joke.

And now here comes Kevin Pollak’s film, which sets out to ask the related question, do you have to be miserable to be a comedian? Actually despite the title that’s not really what the whole film is about. Much of it is simply a collection of strung-together anecdotes under various headings about what it is like to be a comedian.

But Pollak has certainly landed some great interviews. Most of the comics are American, ranging from Tom Hanks to Judd Apatow and Jimmy Fallon. It would be churlish to play spot-the-missing-stand-up. It’s maybe a shame he couldn’t get Seinfeld, but he does have gloom-meister Larry David talking wittily about his early struggles.

There is no Ricky Gervais either, but there are also some other Brits in there, such as Steve Coogan and Stephen Merchant. One of the funniest stories is Merchant’s anecdote about bumping into Coogan just as The Office had been a hit and putting his foot in it by nervously implying that Coogan’s career was in a slump. 

Merchant is good value elsewhere too, calling comedy the “hey look at me disease”. Apatow suggests that people go into comedy because they don’t get picked for school sports teams. It’s a way of finding your role in society. And, more importantly, if you are a nerdy man, a way of meeting women. There is not much about women in comedy, but Amy Schumer is predictably good value.

Much of this film, which is dedicated to Robin Williams, feels like Green Room chat – the sort of stuff comedians talk about when they get together backstage or after a show. Gigs they’ve died at, the buzz of being onstage. Rob Brydon says that it is all about confidence. When a gig is going bad he chooses to slow down and pretend it is going well and the audience is at fault rather than speed up so that he can get offstage more quickly. 

And so finally, what about that question of the connection between misery and comedy? There is no definitive answer. Maybe being annoyed at the world also helps. Maybe being insecure helps. Maybe you don’t have to be miserable, but it does make you a funnier. Comedy geeks will love this film, but there is plenty here for the casual stand-up fan to laugh at too.

Misery Loves Comedy is released in the UK on September 4.