Um Palhaço Suspeito

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

Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait made an interesting filmmaking debut with this not bad mix of comedy and drama. Bobcat plays "Shakes", a clown who is barely functioning in life. When he actually shows up for work, he does a decent enough job, but he just cannot stay off the sauce. This frustrates his patient girlfriend, Judy (MTV personality Julie Brown), and even his friends such as Stenchy (Blake Clark) and Dink (Adam Sandler, in one of his earliest film roles). Eventually, Shakes must pull it together and clear himself when he's framed for a murder.

Clearly, this has become a cult favourite, although this viewer would be lying if he said that he found it all that funny himself. It's mildly amusing at best, with some good moments, but it's never really inspired. One of the brightest bits of business occurs when Robin Williams shows up (billed as "Marty Fromage") as a mime teacher. It is also a hoot the way that clowns such as Shakes, Stenchy, and Dink declare war on mimes earlier in the picture and rough them up. It would have been nice had it been a little more of a dark comedy, but it never really gets that dark. Too much time is wasted with two unfunny cop characters.

Certainly the cast gets an A for effort. Bobcat is good in the lead, managing to elicit some sympathy along the way. Brown is sweet as his leading lady, speaking with a noticeable lisp. Tom Kenny (voice of Sponge Bob Squarepants) is a great sociopathic bad guy, "Binky" the clown. Other familiar faces include Florence Henderson, Sydney Lassick, La Wanda Page, Joel Murray, Tim Kazurinsky, and Paul Dooley.

Off-kilter enough to keep it watchable, with a bright wrap-up and a lively soundtrack.

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!

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.

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).