The Appointments of Dennis Jennings

Steven Wright is by far today's most underrated comic genius. He has defined his own genre of stand-up comedy with patented, dead-pan, juxtapositioned one-line observations. This comedy short provides him a vehicle to create sketches that explore this genre, with him starring as Dennis Jennings.

Dennis is a person of obvious low self-esteem, meandering through a rat-race life in New York. Wright glories in pointing out the intricate details of this life over the 30 minute short feature - focusing around his "appointments" with his therapist (Atkinson). You will need to watch it a few times to catch all of his subtle jabs at the everyday farces and absurdities in our lives. It's a 9 or 10.

This short film is the most hilarious I have ever seen. I saw it on HBO in either 91 or 92. The humor is on a deadpan version but is hilarious because the viewer can relate to such things. Unlike most comedy films which contain slapstick humor put in by the filmaker with a "There, that's funny audience now laugh because your supposed to" intention this film just has events happening and you can't help but be amused.

In his "autobiography" "Private Parts" Howard Stern wrote of Wright: "witty but not funny". While I understand what Stern was getting at, he isn't entirely right. While most of Wright's one-liners are more of the amusing, grin-worthy type, at times Wright can be hilarious as well. In TAODJ, one such scene is the dialogue that he and Metcalf have in his flat, with a hot pizza between them. Other funny moments occur in Atkinson's office. The rest isn't laugh-out-loud funny, but it is nevertheless interesting and original. Before seeing this little film, I was unsure how good Wright would be in an actual acting role, a relatively common problem for stand-up comedians (see Dana Harvey, an excellent stand-up comedian, who can't quite get his act together in most films). But to my surprise, Wright is actually better in a film than in his stand-up shows. The stand-up routine is great, but he comes off far more natural and convincing playing an actual part. It's a pity that a full-length movie wasn't made with this DJ character, or at least a (probably short-lived) sitcom - WITHOUT an annoying laugh-track, of course.

I read the synopsis, and still I wasn't prepared for what 'The appointments of Dennis Jennings' entailed. This is impossibly dry, deadpan, offbeat, absurdist humor as only Steven Wright can deliver, and it's a marvel. The oddball musings and concerns of Wright's title character pointedly conflicts with the aggrieved disinterest of therapist Dr. Schooner, portrayed with expectedly exaggerated expression by Rowan Atkinson. Though given less time on screen, Laurie Metcalf handily keeps in step with Wright's characteristic tone.

It's a small tale told here, and ultimately rather dark. But it's quite entertaining, and I think notably outside the bounds of convention when it comes to comedy or storytelling generally. The camerawork and image quality leaves a bit to be desired, but I assume that these can be attributed simply to what director Dean Parisot had to work with for a short film in the late '80s. In any event, a lack of technical refinement doesn't hinder our enjoyment.

For the tone struck throughout, 'The appointments of Dennis Jennings' may not be for all viewers. Still, this is a fun little movie that I'd encourage viewers to seek out if they're looking for something a bit different.