Shakes the Clown

This movie was written, stars, and was directed by BCG. It is dark, there are drugs, alcohol, and inner demons. But all this is dealt with and lived by people who live 24/7 as clowns and mimes. They have clown bars etc. BCG two other semi well known movies are worlds greatest dad ( robin Williams (plays a mime here)) and God bless america (bill Murray's brother (plays a milkman here)). Those 2 movies are very dark comedies, and this is as well. I think a lot of people didnt get that because of the silly clown premise. It's dark, it's over the top, it's silly, a little raunchy,I think it's great overall. It needs a little 7 star love from others.

P s. See spongebob square pants (tom kenny) as a coked out psycho disco clown in this movie as well.

A reviewer at the Boston Globe once called this, "The Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies." Given the number of points of comparison, who could argue?

I was reminded of this when I recently saw the 2003 movie, "Bad Santa" -- which was a similar one-joke, cynical comedy about an obnoxious alcoholic employed as a character meant to bring joy into the lives of children. (The name "Shakes" takes on a whole new meaning when the lead character attempts to detox.) If that one joke works, so goes the movie. So for comparison, I recently rented it not long after seeing "Bad Santa."

While Bad Santa received a great number of favorable critical reviews, this movie wasn't as fortunate. Upon further review, I have to say that this movie never got the credit it deserved.

Is it a great movie? Oh no. This is a movie that attempts to be so bad and foul, rolling in its own filth, that best targets people with the right, low-expectation mindset. But you could also say that of "There's Something About Mary."

It employs humor in some of the background scenes a la "Airplane." Its use of cheesy 70s actors is pure genius and helps complete the joke. (Nevermind Robin Williams, an early Adam Sandler, and the then-future voice of Sponge Bob Squarepants as the evil Binky the Clown.) If you can manage a smirk during John Waters' "Mondo Trasho," you'll likely find the movie to be quite funny overall.

It's Bobcat's opus, and its no wonder he never really made much of anything since; the same was true for Orson Wells after "Citizen Kane"...

Among my friends and myself it has become tradition to rent Shakes the Clown and watch it around New Years Eve. I'm not saying this is the best movie of all time. In fact, it is so appalingly bad that we have to see it once a year. Shakes is a screwed up mix between a serious film about alcoholism and a cheap comedy film full of dick jokes. Nothing more needs to be said, other than Robin Williams makes a great mime.

Henry Rollins broke humanity down, once, into "People who get Devo, and people who don't." You can do the same for this movie... there are people who get it, and people who don't, and you will never, ever convince someone that doesn't get this film that it's enjoyable. Just give up. If they can't see the humor in "Oh great, now I have to kill you too. Another red letter day for Binky..."

the darkly humorous story of an alcholic party clown who is framed by coke-dealing rodeo clowns and must overcome his condescending feelings towards mimes when he must take refuge in one of their studios.

black comedy painted in neon colors with funny clown shoes for that disturbing effect. an issue as serious as alcoholism shouldn't b taken lightly, but the darkness within the "twisted balloon" bar is could be any hole in the wall drink joint over-run with industry regulars. its just this industry is full party clowns who pick on the artistic mimes and cower in fear of rodeo clowns.

binky is one of the most creepy & festive characters in recent years. his rationalizations of his behavior are text book. "u all loathe me... think my balloon animals suck". it seems strangely appropriate that the rodeo clowns are selling coke binky and his yes men.

this movie is full of incredible lines & visual humor (check out the office in the background when shakes is getting picked up at the police station during the conversation with the cops).