The Comedy (film)

Last updated
The Comedy
The Comedy poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Rick Alverson
Written byRick Alverson
Robert Donne
Colm O'Leary
Produced by Mike S. Ryan
Brent Kunkle
Starring Tim Heidecker
Eric Wareheim
James Murphy
Gregg Turkington
Kate Lyn Sheil
Alexia Rasmussen
Jeff Jensen
CinematographyMark Schwartzbard
Edited byRick Alverson
Michael Taylor
Production
companies
Distributed by Tribeca Film (USA)
Release date
  • January 21, 2012 (2012-01-21)(Sundance Film Festival)
VOD: Oct 24, 2012; Theatrical: Nov 9, 2012
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Comedy is a 2012 American drama film co-written, co-edited, and directed by Rick Alverson, and starring Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, James Murphy, and Gregg Turkington. The film was executive produced by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Darius Van Arman, and Larry Fessenden.

Contents

It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival [1] and screened within such festivals as Maryland Film Festival 2012. The film was distributed by Tribeca Film and theatrically released on November 9, 2012. It went nationwide on demand starting October 24, 2012. [2]

Despite the title and use of comedians as actors, Sundance festival chief programmer Trevor Groth says that the film is not a comedy, but instead "a provocation, a critique of a culture based at its core around irony and sarcasm and about ultimately how hollow that is." [3]

The film was deliberately leaked onto various torrent websites, though the file only shows the first ten minutes before abruptly cutting to Heidecker sitting silently on a boat behind a scrolling anti-piracy statement.

Plot

Swanson (Heidecker) is an aging, upper class hipster who alternately feels apathy and resentment towards his surroundings. He lives on a boat and spends his time partying and wandering around Brooklyn with his equally privileged friends, humorlessly ridiculing the various people they encounter. In the beginning of the film, his father is comatose, [4] and Swanson is set to inherit his estate. He mentions having a brother who is institutionalized, though it is unclear where. The only familiar connection he has appears to be his sister-in-law (Liza Kate).

The film has no clear narrative, instead showing vignettes of Swanson's offensive behavior as he improvises situations to make strangers and acquaintances uncomfortable. Swanson and his buddies (Eric Wareheim, James Murphy, Richard Swift) continuously mock their less intelligent friend Cargill (Jeff Jensen) after he confesses they are important to him. Cargill continues spending time with them regardless. Swanson flirts with a woman at a party while sarcastically praising Hitler. She's sleeping naked in Swanson's boat the next morning, and he solemnly ferries her back to land. Swanson and his friends visit a church, where they desecrate various objects and cause a scene. Swanson visits a bar in Harlem alone, flaunting his wealth and insulting the African-American patrons by suggesting he gentrify the place. At one point, Swanson pays a cab driver 400 dollars to let him drive the car, only to speed recklessly and harass a woman on the street.

Growing bored, Swanson finds part-time work as a dishwasher. His ironic sense of humor attracts the attention of a waitress (Kate Lyn Sheil), who he later takes onto his boat. As Swanson awkwardly fails to make a move, the woman suffers a seizure. Rather than help, he watches her with vague interest. One night, Swanson's friend Van (Wareheim) shows their group a slideshow of photos from his childhood, interspersing vintage pornographic images as a gag. Despite some initial laughs, the group eventually falls silent and everyone appears apathetic. In the final sequence, Swanson visits the beach, where he plays in the water with a young child, an activity he seems to genuinely enjoy.

Cast

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. It received an aggregate rating of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews, [5] and 46% on Metacritic based on the opinions of 15 critics (indicating "mixed or average reviews"). [6] For example, David Lewis of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the film was "one of the most self-indulgent, pretentious and unfunny movies of the year", [7] while Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club gave the film an "A−" rating, writing that "few films have better articulated the limits of irony as a force field against the world". [8] Aaron Hillis of The Village Voice called it "transgressively brilliant... an itchy critique of entitlement starring avant-garde comedian Tim Heidecker as one of Williamsburg's overprivileged". The film has drawn comparisons to both La Dolce Vita and The Idiots . [9]

The film had a limited theatrical release, grossing $41,113 in four theaters over eight weeks. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Wareheim</span> American comedian, musician, actor and director (born 1976)

Eric Alexander Wareheim is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, musician, and winemaker. He is best known as one half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, alongside Tim Heidecker. He also had a recurring role on the Netflix series Master of None.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Heidecker</span> American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (born 1976)

Timothy Richard Heidecker is an American comedian, writer, director, actor, and musician. Along with Eric Wareheim, he is a member of the comedy duo Tim & Eric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregg Turkington</span> American comedian

Gregg Turkington is an American comedian, entertainer, actor, musician and writer. He is known for his performances as Neil Hamburger, a stand-up comedian persona he developed in the 1990s. Alongside Tim Heidecker, Turkington also stars as a fictionalized version of himself on the comedic web series On Cinema (2011–). In addition, he formed one-half of the band Zip Code Rapists and has collaborated on numerous projects with musicians including Trey Spruance.

<i>Mister America</i> 2019 comedy film

Mister America is a 2019 American mockumentary film directed by Eric Notarnicola and starring Tim Heidecker. The film is an extension of the On Cinema universe, in which Heidecker portrays a fictionalized version of himself who reviews films with fellow comedian Gregg Turkington; the film follows Heidecker as he runs for the office of San Bernardino County district attorney, attempting to unseat the incumbent D.A. that previously attempted to imprison him in a mass murder charge. The film has received mixed reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim & Eric</span> American comedy duo

Tim & Eric are an American comedy duo consisting of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. They are the creators and stars of the Adult Swim television series Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories, and Beef House.

<i>Waitress</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by Adrienne Shelly

Waitress is a 2007 American comedy drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, starring Keri Russell as a young woman trapped in a small town and an abusive marriage, who faces an unwanted pregnancy while working as a waitress. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on May 2, 2007, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Shelly's supporting role is her final film appearance before her death. In 2015, Waitress was adapted into a Tony-nominated musical of the same name.

<i>Tim and Erics Billion Dollar Movie</i> 2012 film by Tim & Eric

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie is a 2012 American absurdist black comedy film starring, written, directed, and produced by the comedy duo Tim & Eric in their feature directorial debuts. The plot follows Heidecker and Wareheim, playing fictionalized versions of themselves, who are forced to re-open an abandoned mall to pay back a wasted billion-dollar loan. The supporting cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Ray Wise, Twink Caplan, Robert Loggia, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Odenkirk, and Will Forte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Alverson</span> American film director

Patrick James Alverson Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter and musician, living in Richmond, Virginia. His films have been characterized by their confrontational nature and unconventional dramatic structure.

<i>Sun Dont Shine</i> 2012 film by Amy Seimetz

Sun Don't Shine is a 2012 independent thriller film written and directed by Amy Seimetz and starring Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley. It first premiered on March 10, 2012 at the South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award. The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on April 26, 2013, by Factory25.

<i>On Cinema</i> Web series

On Cinema is an American comedy web series and podcast starring Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington. The duo appear, using their own names, as a pair of hapless movie reviewers to promote new film releases. The show started as an independently released podcast from 2011 to 2013, before being picked up as a professionally produced web video series by Thing X in 2012, continuing after the site merged with Adult Swim's website in 2013. The show moved to HEI Network, an independent service, in 2021, with funding given by user subscriptions and special event ticket purchases.

<i>Listen Up Philip</i> 2014 film by Alex Ross Perry

Listen Up Philip is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Alex Ross Perry. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014, and won the Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival.

<i>Gabi on the Roof in July</i> 2010 American film

Gabi on the Roof in July is a 2010 American independent comedy-drama film directed by Lawrence Michael Levine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Lyn Sheil</span> American actress (born 1985)

Kate Lyn Sheil is an American actress. She has had roles in independent films like You're Next, V/H/S, The Color Wheel, The Sacrament, and House of Cards.

<i>Men Go to Battle</i> 2015 American film

Men Go To Battle is a 2015 American dark comedy/drama film directed by Zachary Treitz and written by Treitz and Kate Lyn Sheil. It stars Tim Morton, David Maloney, Rachel Korine, Sheil, and Steve Coulter. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 17, 2015.

<i>Entertainment</i> (2015 film) 2015 film directed by Rick Alverson

Entertainment is a 2015 American drama film directed by Rick Alverson, starring Gregg Turkington, Tye Sheridan, and John C. Reilly. It is loosely based on Turkington's Neil Hamburger character. The plot follows a stand-up comedian as he performs in various locations where the audience is either hostile or indifferent to him. Alverson, Turkington and Tim Heidecker co-wrote the film.

<i>Busters Mal Heart</i> 2016 American film

Buster's Mal Heart is a 2016 surrealist mystery film written, directed, and edited by Sarah Adina Smith. It stars Rami Malek, DJ Qualls, Kate Lyn Sheil, Lin Shaye, Toby Huss, Sukha Belle Potter, Lily Gladstone, and Nicholas Pryor.

Decker is an American comedy web series and series created by Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington. The show is a web spinoff/tie-in to the series On Cinema at the Cinema and began on July 17, 2014. Many recurring jokes and the personas and mutual antipathies expressed by Decker and Turkington carry over from the relationship of the "real" actors, Heidecker and Turkington, in On Cinema.

<i>Kate Plays Christine</i> 2016 American film

Kate Plays Christine is a 2016 American documentary film written and directed by Robert Greene. It follows actress Kate Lyn Sheil's preparation for the role of Christine Chubbuck, a newscaster who committed suicide on live television in 1974, for a fictitious film. It is one of the two films about Chubbuck that premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, the other being Christine.

<i>Lost Holiday</i> (2019 film) 2019 American film

Lost Holiday is a 2019 American mystery comedy film written, produced and directed by Michael Matthews and Thomas Matthews and starring Kate Lyn Sheil.

Jamojaya is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Justin Chon and starring Yayu Unru and Brian "Rich Brian" Imanuel in his film debut, playing an Indonesian rap star struggling with his newfound celebrity.

References

  1. ↑ "2012 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition". Sundance Institute.
  2. ↑ "Tim Heidecker Takes the Lead in Full Trailer for Indie 'The Comedy'".
  3. ↑ "Sundance Film Festival 2012 lineup". CNN.
  4. ↑ MUBI Movies: The Comedy (2012)|Birth.Movies.Death.
  5. ↑ "The Comedy". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Comedy". Metacritic. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ "'The Comedy' movie review: Dreadful". 22 November 2012.
  8. ↑ Tobias, Scott. "The Comedy".
  9. ↑ BAM
  10. ↑ "The Comedy (2012) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.