Punchline (1988)
Director: David Seltzer
Writer: David Seltzer
Cast: Sally Field, Tom Hanks, John Goodman
Genre: Comedy Drama
A hard look at the behind the scenes life of stand up comedians as they try to make it into the big time, by getting discovered at a New York comedy club.
Tom Hanks is a wildly funny, as an up and coming young comedian who's flunked out of medical school and is so broke his roommate has locked him out of his own apartment. Both his dad and brother are successful doctors and he hasn't the guts to tell them he's working as a stand up comic, knowing they will take a dim view of it.
Tom Hanks was extremely good in this as a talented comic with a self destructive streak. His comedy performances give us an insight into why the real Tom Hanks became such a big comic star. Fellow stand up comedian Chris Rock called Hanks the funniest stand up act he'd seen. And we get to see it too! and that's alone is worth the price of admission.
But there's more, there's the darker side, when he breaks down on stage after spotting his estranged father in the audience. Oscar worthy performance. Though my favorite scene was on the night of the big competition when he's outside of the comedy club heckling the judges with a bull horn as they enter the club. The same judges who will later be judging the comedy routines.
Sally Fields is the other big draw here. She's a house wife married to John Goodman, a man who doesn't understand why she must leave the house and her three children to go and perform comedy. And she's not skilled at it, but is driven to keep trying.
There's a lot of tension in their scenes together and Sally Fields was made do to this type of acting. She brings balance to the movie. I liked her too. I wasn't so onboard with the idea that Tom Hanks character would fall in love with her. But still overall, a unique movie and one I really enjoyed.
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