Shakes the Clown

I really admired this movie for being a fairly apt take on alcoholism. In terms of pain and damage. They could have easily made Shakes a comical drunk, ala Arthur or some kind of wacky party animal, like Belushi in Animal House. Instead, Shakes the Clown is a seriously troubled individual. It's also realistic in that he hangs out with a bunch of alcoholics, who have just a little more control over their habit.

The jokes hit at about a 15% clip, but I thought the guy who played Binky was wonderfully cast. It's not a great movie, or even a good one -- I guess I was just surprised by the honesty in its portrayal of alcoholism.

And I'm not sure I needed to see Aunt Esther talk about her privates in such detail!

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..."

I've tried to get my friends to watch this movie with me, but they just can't get over the fact that there are CLOWNS everywhere! GROW UP! "Shakes the Clown" is a truly love-it-or-hate-it movie, with each side taking their stand solidly. Put me in the love column. The fact that everything is played dead serious despite the fact that they're clowns is what keeps this movie from just being stupid. Tom Kenny is PERFECTLY cast as Binky, the best comic villain I have ever seen. Most comic villains are either so bad they're cool, or so bad you can't bear to watch them. Mr. Kenny achieves a perfect balance of being totally unappealing, yet you want to keep watching to see him get it in the end. The best villains feel their actions are completely justified, and Binky is no different. His actions are completely self-preserving and in his mind justifiable. Shouts should also be given out to Adam Sandler and Julie Brown. While Adam often resorts to the easy laugh in his starring vehicles, he's perfect as the insecure clown with no confidence with his ability with the opposite sex. You can easily see why P.T. Anderson chose him to star in "Punch Drunk Love". People have a tendency to hate Julie Brown, and I can understand why, but I've always been a fan of hers. Her role as the put-upon barmaid/girlfriend of Shakes would have been annoying in any other movie, but given the circumstances involved, I find her absolutely adorable. The characters of HoHo, Boots, Stenchy, Owen Cheese, the two cops, the rodeo clowns, etc. are all perfectly cast. Especially memorable is the late Sydney Lassick as Peppy, the forcibly retired host of the TV show that Binky takes over. It's a crying shame that more people don't like this movie, as it would have given Bobcat more opportunities to do films HIS way. Why didn't this film make EW's top 50 cult movies? Until people get over their phobia of clowns, this flick is never going to get the respect it truly deserves, and that is a crying shame. 10/10

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.

I've heard this is the " Citizen Kane of alcholic clown movies", and it may be!