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Julia Scotti: Funny That Way

In the comedy boom of the 80’s Rick Scotti was in high demand—headlining in clubs across the country, on bills with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld—when he came to the dawning realization that nothing felt right. At a time when the words gender dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard, Rick’s true awakening led to a new identity as Julia Scotti. And then the doors shut tight. Everyone turned away—former wives, friends, comedy world buddies, and most painfully, Julia was shut out from any contact with her children. She reinvented herself, spent a decade teaching, and then stepped back on stage to begin her journey back to comedy. In that same period, her children reached out to her after 15 years of separation. Shot over a period of five years, JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY tracks Julia’s triumphant comeback, the complex process of reuniting with her children, and the way that comedy becomes a shared language of identity, healing and joy.