The Comedian Movie Review

The Comedian (2016)

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Written by: Art Linson & Jeffrey Ross and Richard LaGravenese and Lewis Friedman (screenplay), Art Linson (story by)
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Harvey Keitel, Edie Falco, Cloris Leachman, Billy Crystal, Charles Grodin
Rated: R

Plot
Aging insult comic Jackie Burke (Robert De Niro), best known for his role as Eddie decades ago on 'Eddie's Home' books middling gigs trying to make ends meet.

Verdict
There is no reason for this movie to exist. You could take it in so many directions, a comedian that's been left behind by life and technology, an out of work actor trying to shed his typecast image, or even how stars are exploited and forgotten. Instead, this movie does nothing. Jackie isn't after something, and he doesn't want anything. Jackie has no point other than fill space on the screen and to deliver roasts that are not worth the words used.
Skip it.

Review
Jackie is an over the hill insult comic barely scraping by. A couple show up to Jackie's gig and begin shooting their Youtube series where they take down comics. A fist fight ensues and I was left wondering where this is going.

This encounter leads to community service and Jackie getting a younger girlfriend (Leslie Mann). While their relationship takes up a fair amount of time, there isn't much on which to expound.

The comedy isn't very funny. The insults are presented as going too far and that makes it funny, but it doesn't play. Neither the jokes or the delivery help. I wondered if this was a critique of comedy with the old guard versus the newcomers. Maybe it's tackling middle age or entertainers past their prime. Birdman (my review) and Bojack Horseman (my review) both delve into that. It's none of that. This movie is nothing. It's a few half ideas stretched out way too far. By the time Jackie had inadvertently generated a third viral video, I was done with this movie. The viral video is poorly used as a crutch to barely further the plot. No one involved in this movie knows what a viral video is.

This is a guy that's trying to meet ends meet but never seems hard up. He's not trying to regain his former fame. He's just a disgruntled retiree. The biggest joke is that I actually watched this movie.

On top of all this, the movie does an eight years later scene at the end. If this movie wasn't bad enough, and it's already terrible, it's making sure it goes out on a low note.