Rating: 
Summary: Funny Bones
Review: Have watched 20 times. Enjoyed best after 2nd viewing as some of beginning characters showed up later and I didn't recognize them. This film has so many subtleties that are classic, I see new things with each viewing. If you haven't seen this movie twice, go for it. Pay attention to the faces of the guys on the boats because you'll see them later. Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Rating:
Summary: misrepresented film.
Review: I found this movie to be quite good. Not a comedy as you might expect but Chaplin's comedies were not alway comedies either. I liked it, especially for Lee Evans.If you saw Mouse Hunt with Nathan Lane you might remember the brother. That was Lee Evans. He does a very unusual, very funny bit, in this movie. Worth the price of the film. Oliver Platt is the son of a famous comedian, played by Jerry Lewis, who fails as he tries to follow in his father's footsteps. To get inspiration he returns to the town his family had left when he was almost too young to remember. Revelations abound. If you approach this movie as a father - son relationship film and not as a comedy you should enjoy it. If you do not enjoy the Lee Evan's bit then you do not have a sense of humor and you should get yourself one.
Rating:
Summary: An insightfully dramatic look at comedians and family.
Review: I have grown to love this movie. The first time I saw it I was put off and disturbed. Yet, it stayed with me. I wanted to and did see it many more times. The tension between Oliver Platt, as the failed son of superstar Jerry Lewis, is palpable. The shock Platt's character suffers when learning his father stole his material from Blackpool vaudevillians seems to redeem and reinspire Platt. The many Blackpool comics who you see add splashes of color and old-fashioned slapstick talent to this drama. The "Parker Brothers" from whom Lewis stole his material are completely bizarre yet utterly charming. Platt's newly discovered half-brother (Lee Evans) is the unheralded star of the show, playing a disturbed yet highly talented physical comic. Some of the best scenes involve Platt and Evans' new routine and a visit to a morgue. Jerry Lewis is wonderful in a backing role, a Las Vegas superstar whose dark secrets are revealed, becoming more human and less of an obstacle for his troubled sons. The more I see this film the more I spot the details and many layers to the story. What makes this movie special are the tensions between the characters and the challenges each overcomes when Platt's travels unveil the past and reinvigorate a seemingly more innocent and forgotten community of performers. Poignant comic moments abound but, again, this is a drama. Because this is such a unique film, I think it must have been a nightmare to market. You can't accurately describe it in 10 words or less. "Troubling and inspiring" occurs to me, but that won't sell tickets. Fortunately for you, it's inexpensive and regularly appearing on cable tv if you want a trial run. A worthwhile addition to my DVD library.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful thought provoking, very funny and painful
Review: I just loved this film. It was so funny and painful at the same time that it makes very deep connections to the soul and how we can so easily deceive ourselves about what is real. There is a twist in every scene, none more than the gripping finale which had me laughing with tears of sadness running down my face on the edge of my seat until the last moments of the film. This is a must see.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it in the theatre. Can't wait to get it on DVD.
Review: I saw this first when I was living in London. I loved it! I don't laugh out loud at many movies. But I was laughing quite a bit during this one.
It did win an award for ??something ?? in Europe the year it came out.
I'll definately be getting it on DVD. I have been searching for this movie, and have not found it until now. Thanks!
Rating: 
Summary: Comedy? Excuse me..
Review: i'm a jerry lewis fan, so i was quite disepointed by this movie.
Having seen "king of comedy" recently, and some old jerry classics from the 60's. i was expecting and looking forward to alote of fun here! according to the cover, youre suposed to believe that jerry has one of the leading roles.. yeah right, more like a cameo. ok?
jerry has a short scene at the begining of the movie, then he doesnt show up untill near the end. (how 'bout that?) where he does a couple of quick shots. the movie's main stars are oliver platt and his psycho half brother, who beats a clown to death. very cruel and disturbing, yes. comedy? this isn't a comedy folks, its a drama with alote of cruel violence.
the movie starts off with a kid being slaughterd under a boat at sea. then you see oliver platt performing before an audience, being humiliated before a crowd sence they doesnt laugh at his jokes. jerry lewis is magnificent as his suporting father.
oliver platt though, the star of the movie, plays an ego who only cares about himself and acts like a.. well you know. and thats the guy who you gotta follow through the whole movie!
jerry lewis actally has only about 3 or 4 "real" scenes, the rest is just short cuts at him. sitting in an audience or something. so all in all, quite an annoying film with alote of disturbing scenes. love jerry though, catch him in some of his old classics, or "king of comedy" where he stars along with robert de niro, now thats an old masterpiece! one of my favorite movies. there are so many great movies in this amazon jungle, so take my advice and spend your money on something else.
the cover on this film is misleading, and when the cover is misleading.. well.. you know what that means.
but you can bet there are some good music in this movie!
blues legend john lee hooker boogies away on his hit "boogie chillen". so i suggest you buy the soundtrack and skip the movie.
i hope this review was helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky Black Comedy--Don't Miss It
Review: Imagine a morgue scene that will have tears of laughter streaming down your face. Idiosyncratic and really brilliant, IMHO. I've seen it three times, and am looking forward to a few years going by so I can see it again.
Rating:
Summary: This movie makes my Top Ten list, fer shure!
Review: It's late, I'm tired. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add my two cents worth. I have yet to talk to anyone in Anchorage who has seen this movie! What a shame, because it's a wonderful, whacky, off-beat, serious-but-hilariously-funny-at-the-same-time movie. The old vaudeville comedians are a treat and a treasure. I loved it, but beware! It has a dark side which manages to make the funny parts all the funnier in contrast.
Rating: 
Summary: A DARK FAMILY DRAMA (IT WAS'T *SUPPOSED* TO BE A COMEDY)
Review: Just because a movie has Jerry Lewis and a title that includes "Funny" doesn't mean that it was supposed to be a comedy! The plot is a bit of a mix (about a stand-up legend and his failure of a son) and doesn't always work. The main bit about the father and the son, and the secrets and desires around them, is all worth watching. But we get hit by these little loose strands about a mob boss and a stolen wax egg that never seem to fit in with the rest of the theme and are hence left to fizzle off half-baked. Acting etc is all fine, but the script is doozy and the screenplay patchy, which may work for some (who like "different cinema") but it is not youe average comedy yarn. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could.
Rating:
Summary: A DARK FAMILY DRAMA (IT WAS'T *SUPPOSED* TO BE A COMEDY)
Review: Just because a movie has Jerry Lewis and a title that includes "Funny" doesn't mean that it was supposed to be a comedy! The plot is a bit of a mix (about a stand-up legend and his failure of a son) and doesn't always work. The main bit about the father and the son, and the secrets and desires around them, is all worth watching. But we get hit by these little loose strands about a mob boss and a stolen wax egg that never seem to fit in with the rest of the theme and are hence left to fizzle off half-baked. Acting etc is all fine, but the script is doozy and the screenplay patchy, which may work for some (who like "different cinema") but it is not youe average comedy yarn. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could.
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