Directed
by: Taylor Hackford
Cast:
Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Harvey Keitel
Time:
119 minutes
Jackie Burke is an aging stand-up comic with
a bad attitude. He keeps trying to adapt and stay relevant, but all people want
from him is that one character he played in a sitcom years before. After an
altercation with a fan in a comedy club, he has to spend a month in jail and do
some community service. While volunteering at a soup kitchen, he meets a
younger woman who is also going through personal issues. The two will strike up
a relationship that promises to be as complicated as anything in Jackie Burke’s
life.
Critics trashed this film but I liked it. It
rang true to what many comedians go through, probably in large part to Jeff
Ross’ involvement in writing the screenplay. Even if I’m a huge fan, I had my
doubts when I saw that De Niro was cast in the lead role. I was pleasantly
surprised. He did a great job. Leslie Mann, on the other hand, was pretty much
as one-note as usual. It was also a nice touch to see DeVito and Keitel again,
and to see comics like Billy Crystal playing themselves.
Overall, this film managed to pull me in and
entertain me while it lasted.
Rating:
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