Movie Review: The Comedy

Directed and co-written by Rick Alverson, The Comedy is a comedy-drama about a 35-year-old Brooklyn hipster named Swanson (Tim Heidecker) and his lack of concern for the wealth he will soon inherit from his fathers passing and his struggle with basic human interaction.  Also featured in the film: Heidecker’s comedy partner Eric Wareheim, former LCD Soundsystem front-man James Murphy, and Gregg Turkington a.k.a. Neil Hamburger.  The film premeired at the 2012 Sundance film festival and is currently available on iTunes on demand.  Theatrical release is scheduled for November 9th.

Despite the title and cast of comedic actors, The Comedy is a fairly dark drama littered with dry and whacky humor.  Heidecker, whose character is an extremely unlikable hipster, showcases fantastic deadpan skill while delivering an array of darkly humorous dialogue and tom foolery in a straight-faced way.  His buddies in the film are just like him: bearded alcoholics in their mid-thirties who spend their time drinking, biking, and harassing the innocent.

The fault of this film is its plot, or lack there of.  Nothing really happens, there’s no story, and definitely no pay off.  But that is not to say that this movie is not worth watching.  Its low-energy portrayal of a fascinating social clique is intriguing, you just spend the whole time expecting something else to happen.

Though not necessarily a comedy, The Comedy has some hilarious, clearly very improvised scenes.  From blowing out prayer candles at church to harassing cab drivers, these are characters who clearly stopped maturing in high school.  But the story centered around Heidecker’s character is pretty depressing, though his aforementioned attributes make him impossible to root for.

I would think a fan of alternative comedy might find some enjoyment in this film, and perhaps I just didn’t get it and The Comedy is actually a brilliant piece of art.  But either way be prepared for a dark film with little story.

6/10 Beards