The Comedian

This film was funny, insightful, very, very well written, and was made for adults. My guess is that a lot of very weak millennials, with no understanding of humor, who take themselves way too seriously, were responsible for all of the poor ratings, and reviews. They cannot be taken seriously. They know nothing about classic humor, which this film paid tribute to, in a wonderful way. It was raw, it was nasty, it was crude. All of the great things we love about comedy. DeNiro was fantastic. Danny Devito was great. The woman who played his dragon queen wife was amazing, portraying the nasty side of some stereotypical NY Jewish women. Leslie Mann was great. The repartee between her character and the DeNiro character was so well written. Harvey Kietel was his usual self. Always entertaining. Thrilled to see Taylor Hackford back. He did a great job, with seamless direction. If you feel like watching a drama, that is very funny in a nasty manner, and written for adults, this is the ticket. This is a very New York film. Most West Coast people will just not get it. Too weak minded. It would be way over their heads and far too offensive, which is the point! Comedy is supposed to offend! Get over yourselves.

It's not the most outstanding film I've seen but it's definitely funny. I would say De Niro missed his calling as a stand-up comedian if it was not for the fact that he is such a great actor. De Niro plays a stand up comic. He's one of those raunchy comedians that says a bunch of crazy insulting things and your not sure weather to laugh or to boo him but eventually he makes you laugh at it. De Niro literally had that routine down too. I totally believed the he started his career in the comedy Cellar before doing Mean Streets. It was a great acting performance. Adding to the story, De Niro's character is a washed up sitcom actor trying his best not to live off the fame, but having no choice, especially when his agent, played by Edie Falco ,can only book conventions and where are they now shows. It has a top notch cast with Danny DeVito, Harvey Keitel Leslie Mann and Cloris Leachman all being really funny. It's worth going to see just for a good laugh.

The film "The Comedian" is not really funny , kind of annoying and nasty. Is Robert De Niros character , Jackie Burke , supposed to be Rupert Pupkin after thirty years in the business , all bitter , nasty and burned out? Of course , "King of Comedy" was a much better and entertaining movie had more interesting characters and focus , and Scorsese is a better director than Taylor Hackford. I don't understand why ANYONE would find Jackie Burke funny , charming or anything. It wanted to be a nice character study between Deniro and Leslie Mann , which sort of works , but then you have the relationship between Jackie Burke and his brother , played by Danny DeVito, which was just annoying. Italians playing Jews is an interesting dynamic , and , as I like to say , Jews and Italians are very similar in character , especially in New York. It could have been a lot better , but it is what it is, which is not a very good film.

Robert De Niro for sure is one of the best actor's still around in the business, so it was only fitting that I see his latest work the independent film "The Comedian". It's one picture that's a mix of drama and harsh outspoken brash laughs that proves that life is unexpected with drama and connecting up with people and also it presents new chances to start and float with other people from one's past. De Niro is Jack Burke a past his prime comedian who's washed up and looking at perhaps going back to the TV comedy series outlet to once again gain fans, yet after a stand up appearance goes in another direction, Jack's life takes a spin. After this it's from the help of his manager/partner Miller(Edie Falco)and brother Jimmy(Danny DeVito)that Jack gets some footing back and thru happen chance and fate he meets a love interest in Harmony(Leslie Mann) this changes Jack's life. Yet thru it all he's still the same blunt, outspoken raw comic that's loved and liked while gaining and finding new twists and turns in life.

Greetings again from the darkness. It's often seemed as if Robert DeNiro existed in two unrelated cinematic worlds. He's a 7 time Oscar nominee and 2 time winner (The Godfather: Part II, Raging Bull) renowned for his dramatic work, while also seemingly intent on proving he's a funny as he thinks he is. His work in Analyze This, Analyze That, and the Fockers franchise takes "playing against type" to an extreme. This latest is his return, 35 years after The King of Comedy, to playing a stand-up comedian. Of course Jackie Burke (DeNiro) is no regular comedian. He's pushing 70 years old, has anger issues, no close friends, a strained relationship with his brother (Danny DeVito) and agent (Edie Falco), and fights his popular legacy as "Eddie" from a decades-ago popular sitcom. He strives to be recognized not as Eddie, but as Jackie Burke, the king of insult comics. That anger lands him in community service where he meets Harmony (Leslie Mann) who is also serving her time. It's kind of creepy to watch the 30 years older dude hit on her, but it's explained away by her 'daddy issues' with Harvey Keitel. Of course, DeNiro and Keitel have a natural rhythm (that spans 5 decades of working together), but it's really DeNiro and Mann who have the best scenes (outside of the unnecessary romantic interlude). Ms. Mann is especially fun to watch and brings a sense of realism to a film that's mostly lacking. Taylor Hackford directs a script written by a blend of 4 writers: a Producer of Fight Club, a standup comedian, an Oscar nominee for The Fisher King, and a writer best known for the Kennedy Center Honors. It's a weird mix that explains the periodic flashes of genius and the overall mismatched parts. There are no shortage of familiar faces that pop up, including Billy Crystal, Lois Smith, Jimmie Walker, Brett Butler, and Gilbert Gottfried. Patti LuPone is enjoyable in her role as DeVito's wife and Jackie Burke-hater. It's nice to see Charles Grodin in a Midnight Run reunion with DeNiro, and Cloris Leachman proves that comedy kills in her brief time on screen. Although there is a more cutesy humor segment at a retirement center when Burke leads the residents through a make-shift version of "Makin' Poopie" set to the rhythm of "Makin' Whoopie", anyone seeing this should be braced for raunchy humor. Lots of raunchy humor. Jackie Burke is an insult comedian in the vein of Don Rickles, only he adds a dash of Jim Norton and Amy Schumer. With all the uncomfortable laughs, it might best be described as that rare film genre – blue humor for the blue hairs.

I like De Niro and DeVito. I was so disappointed! Argh! Not one laugh and it was painful to watch!!! A well placed F bomb is cool but when comedy consists of more bombs in a sentence than regular words it comes across like it was written by an uneducated buffoon. Yep...It was! Honestly, did De Niro really have to jump at a D grade script? The big funnies are toilet words. Really!!! Ummmmm....Toilet words are funny to 8 or 9 year old kiddies. If adults find this hilarious I am truly disappointed in humanity. No laughs here. On a final note I was shocked hearing a mere child deliver a stand-up comedy routine complete with F bombs worse than I would expect out of the mouth of a 60 year old trucker. This movie was F bomb bad!!!

How can such a great actor become such a joke? Nick Cage didn't even fall this far. The director of this film ought to be hung by his testicles. He can't even form a single interesting scene. he must be the most boring person in the world, and his movie puts his personality on display. This was total garbage, about as bad as a Deniro movie can be.

This is a nice romcom which contains some crude humour but its not really about the comedy content. All the poor reviews are missing the admiration the movie tries to show for those few individuals that can hold an audience and make them laugh. Its hard enough public speaking but to then capture an audience and hold them in your hand hanging on your every word making them laugh is what this movie is trying to show. I think Robert De Niro is a great comedy actor but from his interviews probably an introvert personality so no doubt admires the skill of people like Billy Crystal, who has a small cameo, greatly and the reason he did this movie. Harvey Keitel's face after the final performance in the retirement home summed up the movie. Grudging admiration for the skill of live comedy.

Leslie Mann gives a good performance. It was nice to see some old comedians are alive. The movie is mostly in focus. So much for the good points. An excellent cast is wasted on this script. Conflict needs to be more then two actors screaming the "f" word. From the officious opening credits to the "Little Miss Sunshine" rip off last scene this is painful to watch. Taylor Hackford have you heard of Alan Smithee. You should be embarrassed to have your name on this one. In what universe would an audience believe a love relationship between Di Nero and Mann. The script is so bad if you took out the swearing it would nearly be a silent movie. The jokes don't work. Cloris Leachman dies at her roast. Senior citizens are mocked. There is even a Pancreatic Cancer joke. There's a jazz score that doesn't work. The movie drones on too long. Nothing works. If you see it in a theater ask for your money back. Perhaps they will find a way to give you back the two wasted.hours.

Yes, this was dull, and difficult to sit through, but then, can anyone actually remember the last time they saw a good film? I watched Caddyshack last night, which is a film from before i was born, and I can attest to it being a million times superior to anything that unfunny, uninteresting, dutifully shocking and profane Hollywood can throw out there. Famous actors don't make me like a film, especially the way that actors have been behaving lately. In fact i wondered if Robert's politics were not turning some people off, as no one else was in the theater besides me and my two friends. I hadn't heard if reviews were bad or not, but they should have been bad.