THE COMEDIAN – Review

Nearly 35 years ago DeNiro truly stunned film fans (yes, he could do that back then) when they learned of his next big screen collaboration with Martin Scorsese. It was crazy enough that the duo would follow the brutal one-two punch of MEAN STREETS and TAXI DRIVER with a glossy homage to big splashy MGM-style movie musicals, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, but this? They seemed to be back in their comfort zone with the classic RAGING BULL, when they made another big detour. A look at comedy, namely a portrait of a failed stand-up comic (he’d be dubbed a “hack” today) named Rupert Pupkin. 1982’s THE KING OF COMEDY even co-starred the iconic Jerry Lewis, who often claimed that royal title. The film was then considered a box office flop, but the years have been most kind to it (in stand-up parlance, maybe it was “too hip for the room”). Now, all those years later Mr. D grabs the microphone once more, but without Scorsese to guide him, and toss insults and one-liners as THE COMEDIAN.

The story begins with the downward trajectory of the roller coaster career of stand-up comic Jackie Burke (DeNiro). The highest peak may have been thirty years ago when he had his own network TV sitcom. Now, he’s playing the “nostalgia” circuit, taking a cab to a far-away-from Manhattan club to join other past tube stars Brett Butler and Jimmie “JJ” Walker. Despite the drunken bachelorette party that’s too close to the stage, Jackie’s doing fairly well, easing the concerns of his manager Miller (Edie Falco), the daughter of his late manager. Then the heckling from one table escalates. Jackie engages in a verbal “smack down” with the burly dude when he notices his date recording everything with her phone. They’re grabbing free material for their internet show. A tug-of-war with the mike begins, then ends with the heckler down for the count. The duo take Jackie to court, and insist on an apology, which prompts a string of scathing insults from the star. The judge is not amused, and tacks a month in jail on to her 100 hours of community service sentence. When he’s released, Jackie immediately visits his brother (Danny DeVito) and hits him up for a loan ,while avoiding the cold shoulder from his sister-in-law Flo (Patti LuPone). Meanwhile, a woman named Harmony (Leslie Mann) is surprised by a visit from her Florida-based papa, Mac (Harvey Keitel). He insists that she return to the sunshine state with him, since she can fulfill her court sentence (?) by working at the senior center he owns. No, she’ll stay in the big apple, but will join him for his birthday dinner. Harmony goes to the local church’s homeless outreach center where she fulfills her service requirements next to new helper…the one and only Jackie B! Despite a rocky start the two agree to help each other out. He’ll be her present for her pop’s birthday (Mac’s a big fan of that old sitcom) while she’ll be his date for the wedding of Jackie’s niece. The booze and laughs flow, and the two wind up back at Harmony’s place. The next morning she’s history, on her way to Tampa, and blocking all of Jackie’s calls and texts. Over the next few months his career as many more ups and downs, but he still hopes to connect with her once more.

First off, the obvious: DeNiro is much more believable as a lousy, unpopular comic (as in the earlier KING) than a successful (though hitting the skids) one. His line delivery (knowing which words to “hit”) and stage command (showing the audience who’s in charge) are severely lacking. Of course his bits aren’t that funny (looking downward to give himself a “pep talk”). But he’s putting a lot more energy into this role than in most of his non-David O Russell work, so it’s not a complete slide into “does he ever turn anything down?”.The character is meant to be a foul-mouthed lovable rascal, but he’s more like the embarrassing uncle you hope won’t make the next family bash (the wedding scene is a prime example). Although there are many comics on screen playing themselves (Jim Norton, Gilbert Gottfried, etc.), DeNiro never seems to be part of the cabal, let alone their idol/leader. At least he finds a match in Harmony (no, not the web dating site), as they’re both disruptive, human firecrackers tossed into the library of life. Mann does some of her best non-hubby work (though she’ll be working with Judd Apatow again, hopefully). She’s just as silly and tough, a sparkly “b#@lbuster”, as in her other roles, but that script lets her down. Harmony seems under-written, never letting us understand her dark side (it doesn’t help when she’s suddenly gone for a good third of the flick). Mann certainly fares better than Falco, who’s mainly a devoted, fretting, loyal nanny to the tantrum-throwing “baby-man” Burke. The flick flickers back to life briefly when DeNiro gets to verbally spar with early career co-star Keitel. Mac may enjoy being in Jack’s company, but the thought of his daughter with….errr…well, you can see his BP rising (cue the cartoon stem puffs). The two circle each other like sumo wrestlers, locating each other’s weaknesses, thinking they know exactly what’s on the other’s mind. Otherwise Mac’s really a one-note flashy jerk, a “rat pack-wannabe”. DeVito has a nice believable rapport (they could be bros) with DeNiro, but he gets no chance to unleash his wild comic style (a real Louie DePalma explosion would’ve helped things). Charles Grodin and Cloris Leachman just appear bewildered and befuddled in a Friar’s Club Roast subplot that just fills time. But the biggest waste of talent may be casting Broadway royalty LuPone as a tired cliché, the sour, emasculating shrew. C’mon Hollywood, she deserves better, otherwise we’ll lose her to “the boards” for good!

Director Taylor has made several terrific music-based films (RAY, THE IDOLMAKER), but the world of stand-up is more difficult for him to command. Too many quick cuts to the audience, and too tight on the performers. Once he’s out of the stages and clubs, Hackford is more in control, but the situations seem too artificial. Perhaps it’s the old “too many cooks” problem with the script credited to five (!) writers. I’m wondering if each one contributed a storyline, giving the film a TV sitcom ‘arc” feel, like several episodes of the “first season” patched together (“Jackie at the Roast”, “Jackie Pitches a Show”, “The Big Wedding”, etc.). Perhaps that’s why Jackie is often inconsistent. He serves up bestiality routines along with the yams to the street folks at the church, but he balks at hosting an edgy “endure pain and humiliation for cash and prizes” cable TV game show. And the jabs at “viral stardom” are heavy-handed and silly. Jackie doing a sing-a-long with some feisty seniors about incontinence set to the melody of an Eddie Canter classic? Hmmmm, really? And what’s their idea of a “daring”, provactive final scene? Let’s have a sweet-faced little six year-old drop an “F-bomb”. Feels more lazy and desperate than anything edgy. But it represents the rest of the flick, because THE COMEDIAN never becomes a “top banana”. More like an over-ripe, mushy one. Don’t forget to tip your servers!

2.5 Out of 5