O Comediante

This is a nice romcom which contains some crude humour but its not really about the comedy content. All the poor reviews are missing the admiration the movie tries to show for those few individuals that can hold an audience and make them laugh.

Its hard enough public speaking but to then capture an audience and hold them in your hand hanging on your every word making them laugh is what this movie is trying to show. I think Robert De Niro is a great comedy actor but from his interviews probably an introvert personality so no doubt admires the skill of people like Billy Crystal, who has a small cameo, greatly and the reason he did this movie.

Harvey Keitel's face after the final performance in the retirement home summed up the movie. Grudging admiration for the skill of live comedy.

Former TV sitcom star-turned-insult comic in New York City is left without booking prospects after he assaults a heckler at an out-of-town club; he spends 30 days in jail (for contempt of court) and must perform 100 hours of community service at a soup kitchen, where he meets an attractive but stressed-out lady with similar anger management issues. Impeccably cast character-comedy featuring a terrific ensemble supporting star Robert De Niro (doing savvy, acerbic work). Edie Falco is De Niro's humorless manager, Danny DeVito is a welcome sight playing De Niro's brother, Patti LuPone is a hoot as Danny's disgusted wife, Leslie Mann is an appealing love-interest (with a hard shell) and Harvey Keitel as Mann's steely-eyed father has an edgy, amazing scene with De Niro in his restaurant. This world of aging comics, living on their faded glories, is sharply-captured, with all the requisite humiliations intact. The film is a dirty-fingered valentine to show biz, an accurately sour love note to the 'profession' of being a once-was. It isn't pretty...but then, comedy isn't pretty. **1/2 from ****

What's the matta wit you? I am puzzled by all the negative reviews. Yes, it's not The King of Comedy, or Goodfellas. But this movie was funny. De Niro's character Jackie was a 3-dimensional and human portrayal, and doesn't deserve to be dismissed as "another De Niro phoning it in" performance. The scenes where he performs stand-up comedy were genuinely funny. The relationship he has with his brother (Danny DeVito) were warm and convincing.

It may not be a timeless masterpiece, but if you're at the Red Box or looking for your next movie night rental from the couch it is worth seeing.

For what it's worth, I think Dirty Grandpa was raunchy and hilarious, and Grudge Match was also funny and had heart - with touching performances by both De Niro and Stallone.

The Comedian (2016)

** (out of 4)

Former TV star Jackie Burke (Robert DeNiro) is now performing in small and useless clubs where his profane and offensive act really isn't going over any more. After an altercation with a heckler, Jackie finds himself doing community service where he meets a young woman (Leslie Mann) and soon them two kick it off as the comedian finds more and more going wrong in his life.

Can someone explain how a movie director by Taylor Hackford with a cast that includes DeNiro, Mann, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito, Charles Grodin, Cloris Leachman and Billy Crystal could turn out so lifeless? I mean, how on Earth can you get such talent in one movie and the end result be so bad? I've heard that the film was booed and had several walk-outs during its premiere in Toronto. I'm not sure how try that is but if so that's a bit harsh because the movie isn't that bad but at the same time it is incredibly disappointing and rather pointless.

This was apparently a dream project for DeNiro who spent several years trying to get it off the ground. People have given the actor a lot of crap over the past decade or so for his willingness to do any film for a check. I will never put someone down for wanting to make money and the actor has appeared in some lousy movies and some others that he was just lending his name to for a check but he always delivered a performance and made those films better. For the first time in his career I think he's the reason a movie is bad.

Sadly, DeNiro just isn't very good here and there's no question that he just wasn't right for the role. I'm really not sure what the screenplay was trying to do or say but it just doesn't work and the entire film just seems rather pointless. DeNiro is certainly giving it an A+ effort but there's just no soul or anything to the character. DeNiro is actually pretty boring in the part and he just wasn't believable as this washed up comic. This here shocked me because I think the actor can do comedy and he's played a comedian before in the masterpiece THE KING OF COMEDY. It just doesn't work here and it's really too bad.

The only time his performance really sparks is a sequence where he and Keitel go after one another. If you're a fan of the early films they did together then you'll get a kick out of seeing them battle again. Mann was good in her supporting role as was Grodin, Leachman and Crystal in their bit parts. DeVito gets a couple funny moments as well but there's no question that they can't save the film. Yes, even DeNiro has a couple funny bits but there's just no denying that overall the film is a major misfire.

I'm really not sure what the point of THE COMEDIAN was as the screenplay is all over the place. Is it meant to show us the bottom side of the comedy game? Watch THE WRESTLER, which did a much better job at showing the low points of a profession. Was the romance with Mann supposed to mean something? If so, what when you've got DeNiro and her father (Keitel) fighting like a romantic comedy? There's a dramatic twist in the story at the end. What was the point? What was the point of the DeNiro character being so unlikable? THE COMEDIAN isn't an awful film. It's slightly entertaining and the cast will at least keep you glued to what's going on but there's no doubt that the film is just a major bust.

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting too much from this one, due to some withering reviews on here and also De Niro's recent track record.

His character, Jackie Burke, is an insult comic who had a hit many years ago with a sitcom. He's good at what he does, but as he nears seventy the work doesn't come like maybe it once did, possibly due to his short temper and habit of always doing his act on everyone he meets.

As the film went along, I found myself genuinely liking Jackie, due to sharp writing and a very on form De Niro. Leslie Mann is also impressive (as usual), and there's a plethora of comedy guest stars who never get in the way of the leads.

Jackie's journey is handled very well, and there's a real progression to the narrative, ending with a sweet, on the nail and laugh out loud final scene.

A really good watch, especially for anyone with an interest in stand up comedy, it's nice to see the nearly living legend return to form in such a nuanced, understated way.