Mr. Saturday Night

"DON'T GET ME STARTED!" I saw this film in the theater and I had to buy the DVD because I missed a lot of lines 'cause I was laughing so hard!! I admit that I've been a Billy Crystal fan since "Soap". But, as the movie follows the career of his Saturday Night Live character, Buddy Young, Jr., the dialog between him and Oscar-nominated David Paymer is priceless, whether they're being serious siblings past their prime or as agent and client during the Golden Age Of Television. With an excellent supporting cast which includes Helen Hunt, Julie Warner and Ron Silver (with cameos by Jerry Lewis and Jerry Orbach), I found this movie funny, heart-warming and poignant, too! It's been 25 years and I still quote lines from it during random conversations unbeknownst to those who haven't seen it! I hope you're not one of them.

Took a chance and bought the DVD for an extravagant amount of money(well £2.99 to be exact) and it turned out to be an unexpected delight. Billy Crystal is brilliant as an acerbic comic ably supported by David Paymer as his long suffering brother. If your expecting an out and out comedy you might be disappointed, but as a moving story of someone's life who happens to be a comedian, it's touching, poignant and sometimes very funny. Although Paymer got an Academy Award nomination, Crystal who let's face it is the only reason to watch the awards got nothing,zero,zilch, not a dickey bird... but as someone once said "don't get me started..." (8/10)

Anyone who's paid attention to cinema knows who Billy Crystal is. Whether he's the wisecracker who occasionally hosts the Academy Awards, or the star of breezy comedy flicks, he's a perfectly recognizable face. But what you might not know is that in 1992, he directed and starred in a serious movie. "Mr. Saturday Night" casts him as a comedian long past his prime. Watching the movie, I got the feeling that the character was a composite of several noted comedians from the '50s. He's the sort of character who shifts between amicable and rude in one breath.

I guess that the movie's point is that there's no way to stay at the top forever, especially with how quickly things change (note the scene of "The Ed Sullivan Show"). Nonetheless, the movie does shift between comedy and drama; is there a way for Crystal not to be funny when he has the chance? You're sure to laugh at the scenes where he performs in front of audiences.

David Paymer received an Oscar nod for his role as the protagonist's exasperated brother and agent. He's an actor who doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. In a better world, this movie would've turned him into one of the most sought-after people in entertainment.

Anyway, the movie isn't a masterpiece, but worth seeing. Watch for appearances of Helen Hunt, Jerry Orbach, Richard Kind (Meemaw's friend on "Young Sheldon" and Bing Bong's voice in "Inside Out") and in a cameo, Jerry Lewis.

Buddy Young, Jr. (Billy Crystal) is a talented comedian after forty years of struggling to reach the top. But Buddy can be unsympathetic man towards his comedy, his family and especially his long suffering brother/manager (David Paymer). Now Buddy has to make a choice between pushing forward to his dying career or making piece with the family, he's hurting.

Directed by Billy Crystal (Forget Paris, Have a Nice Day, 61) made his directorial debut with this sometimes flawed but an genuinely touching and bittersweet comedy. Crystal is good in the lead role, since it's based on his comedy character routine but when Crystal plays the older version of his character. He's hardly convincing as the older Buddy, especially with the heavy make-up role. Which he looks like Carl Reiner than himself. Paymer and Julie Warner as Buddy's wife plays the older version of their characters more convincingly. Paymer received an Oscar Nomination for his terrific supporting performance.

DVD has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an fine-Dolby 2.0 Surround Sound. DVD has an interesting commentary track by Crystal, which Paymer joins him during the last fifty minutes of the movie. DVD also has three new featurettes with Crystal and Paymer, deleted scenes with introduction by the director, gag reel and the original theatrical trailer. This dramatic comedy has good supporting roles for Oscar-Winner:Helen Hunt and Ron Silver. Some amusing cameos by Jerry Orbach, Jerry Lewis and an young Adam Goldberg. This is one of the few underrated films of Billy Crystal, which he appears in. Written by Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Which Ganz and Mandel wrote comedies like "City Slickers 1 & 2", "EDTV" and "Greedy". (****/*****).

I had waited a long time to see this movie, and it did not disappoint. Billy Crystal gives a marvelous turn as both director and star in this biopic of a stand-up comic. It is told in retrospective, as he is now in old age and reduced to performing in nursing homes. He tells his fascinating life story. I found a little bit of Laurel and Hardy in the movie as Buddy (Crystal) continuously frustrates his brother/manager Stan. Crystal was good as his character is portrayed as a comic who is brilliant at what he does but at the same time is difficult to work with. I liked it. I really recommend this one.

*** out of ****