I just got back from a late evening showing of this newly-released film and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I must say, however, that if you don’t know Pat Cooper from Jackie Martling, or Bruce Villanch from Dana Gould, or Tom from Dick, you might not enjoy this movie as much as it’s reviewers.
One list of raves from the website includes the quotes: “You’ll laugh till it hurts!”; “Uproarious!”; and “…the funniest movie you’ll ever see!” Now, I understand movie poster hyperbole, but the movie just isn’t THAT funny. It was funny, and at moments very funny, but more interestingly, it’s a meditation on comedians and joke-telling. What makes the movie great is the personalitites and history of comedy spread across the screen, not the jokes (mostly just the one joke), and not the hilarity that you might assume follows. It’s at its best when it illuminates the personalities behind the jokes and when it’s about the comedians themselves just having fun. I thought the final credits were the most telling part of the film and a very enjoyable finish. For the most part it’s just the comedians laughing. Laughing at themselves, laughing at the filmmakers, laughing at each other. It’s always very satisfying to hear a simple, honest laugh.
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