Back in the day, when asked “Why did you become a comedian?,” Mel Brooks didn’t miss a beat. “Sex,” he said, getting the laugh. Directed by Michael Bonfiglio and Judd Apatow, the new documentary, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, is a rare and candid portrait of the man behind Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Drawing on archival footage and candid interviews—Apatow’s intimate conversations with Brooks as well as reflections from comedians he inspired, including Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, and Sarah Silverman—the film traces Brooks’s extraordinary career, his creative partnership with Gene Wilder, his second marriage to Anne Bancroft, his family life and stardom, and, perhaps most emotionally for viewers, his friendship with Carl Reiner, remembered by Reiner’s son Bob before his tragic death in December. —Jeanne Malle