The Comedian's Guide to Survival

It's difficult to know where to start with the list of things that are wrong with this movie.

As any comedian should know (but many don't!) simply splattering your act - or the script - with expletives is not necessarily funny. Maybe it was back in the early days of Billy Connolly but you hear this every day in the playground (alas) so it's lost any shock value (which it relied on rather than comedic value). And the rest of the (non-expletive) script just isn't funny.

The lead is as bland and as uninspiring a character as you can imagine and his persona doesn't change on stage. It's based on a book by said comedian so no wonder I haven't heard of him.

This might appeal to some comedians on an intellectual level (that is, they can see the truth in some of what happens) but if you're looking for proper laughs, guffaws or even advice you'll need to look elsewhere.

The funniest thing about this film is how it just doesn't work, despite the presence of some of the best British comedy talent available. Clearly made very cheaply - the US material is obviously shot in the UK doubling for the US - the script misfires and the casting doesn't work, this is pretty much as disastrous a film as it can get. Avoid like the plague.

Well I laughed and i cringed (and i wasn't too keen on some of the language), but it was illuminating - did my son really go through this? Whatever the 'clever' critics may say, he has gone on to build an amazing career with shows and in public life. Find him on Youtube, Facebook and insta.

This wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen. It was perfectly fine. I laughed once or twice but it wasn't bad or unfunny. The main thing that really dragged it down was the inclusion of non-actors in roles that should have been filled by actual actors. It was such a mixture of acting performances that it was jarring to watch. You put an actual actor like James Buckley next to someone who has never acted in their lives and it's like watching a bad audition. Then you have the fact that every American character is played by a British actor/comedian who just cannot do anything close to an American accent. It was all wrong and felt like there was a decent film buried in this mess of bad actors and bad accents. It was really let down by a good chunk of it's performances.

The Comedian's Guide to Survival portrays a man struggling to succeed in one of the world's toughest industries, Stand-up Comedy. That man is James Mullinger, who is wonderfully played by James Buckley of The Inbetweeners. Buckley's comedic charm is complemented by a sense of vulnerability allowing the audience to join him on a seemingly empathetic (and hilarious) journey. Buckley delivers an excellent performance here.

The lead breaks the fourth wall in a very unique way, allowing the film to poke fun at the "breaking the fourth wall" technique. This film will surely appeal to more than just the aspiring stand-up audience as the core themes of persistence, hard work, and building strong relationships shine through.

The film's message is clear that stand-up comedy is not a profession you simply "fall into", rather an uphill battle of practice and timing that creates experiences you will not soon forget. You will certainly not forget The Comedian's Guide To Survival.