The Comedian

Robert De Niro, who played a sociopathic wannabe celebrity in Martin Scorsese's 1983 film The King of Comedy, stars here as former TV sitcom star Jackie Burke. Aging Burke has hit hard times, unable to move beyond nostalgic references to his earlier show. When an obnoxious heckler with a webcam taunts him in a Long Island comedy club one night, Jackie clobbers the guy in a scuffle that winds up on YouTube. After spending 30 days in the slammer, Jackie reports for community service at a homeless shelter, where he meets Harmony (Leslie Mann), who also has anger problems. Despite their obvious age difference, the pair connect. He takes her to the Comedy Cellar and his lesbian niece's wedding; she takes him to a birthday dinner for her domineering father (Harvey Keitel). Cobbled together by a quartet of screenwriters and superficially directed by Taylor Hackford, The Comedian features strained insult comedy, a Friars Club Roast of a legendary comedienne (Cloris Leachman), and a sleazy Fear Factor-like game show. Edie Falco costars as Jackie's frustrated manager, while Danny DeVito and Patti LuPone play his long-suffering brother and resentful sister-in-law. Also featuring cameos by Charles Grodin, Billy Crystal, Richard Belzer, Gilbert Gottfried, and others, this is a flimsy, faltering film that is definitely not funny. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include an AFI Fest red carpet Q&A with costars Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, and Danny DeVito, and director Taylor Hackford (26 min.), deleted scenes (11 min.), and a “Backstage” behind-the-scenes featurette (9 min.). Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)