Nick Hebb This is a perfect dark comedy. Plain and simple. It's pretty unknown, but it's a film that needs a viewing.Bobcat puts on one helluva show, he is a unique writer, director, and actor. Learning that this was his first movie he wrote, directed, and starred in made it all the more interesting. Tom Kenny's role still gives me the creeps! I can't picture him as anything else.I highly recommend this movie to all fans of dark humor, or fans of Bobcat. It truly is the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies. It's a 90's movie, so the campy humor will be abundant, but it still holds to this day. Check this movie out, you will not be disappointed, it's easily in my top 10 movies of all time.

Dennis Marcum This movie has an All Star cast, (or at least a lot of them)Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Florence Henderson, & LaWanda Page (aunt Ester from Sanford and Son). A stark look at alcoholism through the loopy eyes of rouge clowns. They drink and carouse, drive strange clown cars, and close down "The Twisted Balloon" bar every night. No one as well as Shakes (Bobcat Goldthwait). He wakes up every morning puking but he doesn't have a problem because and can quit when he wants. He just doesn't because he has a lot of fun drinking. He gets fired drinking at a kids party and going nuts (a very funny scene). There are so many zany one liners in this movie. Like when the bar fly lady Aunt ester says "As soon as that camera is off, he gonna f*** that little dog." after Peppy the Clown announces his (forced) retirement from the clown kids TV show. He's all crying and announcing his replacement "Binky" the biggest piece of crap in clown land. Shake thought he was going to get the TV show, guess not. At the bar one of Binkies cronies tells Shakes "Oh, yeah? Well, the only show YOU could ever star in would be a show called the... Not... Funny... DIARRHEA CLUB!" Later Binky frames Shakes for killing Owen Cheese, Shakes boss and father figure (after Shakes dad died in that elephant mishap) Owen finds Binky and a couple of dope dealing rodeo clowns snorting coke and Binky gives a funny line-"You didn't see nothing old man. We're just five happy party clowns, sitting down to a plate of beef. White- powdery- beef." The rest of the show is about Shakes figuring out he did not kill his boss (he was so drunk he didn't know) then finally finding redemption at a 12 step program. This show is hard to watch for people who can't understand addiction, especially when its twisted into a whimsical very dark comedy. Very unique, nothing else even close to like it!

ruinously Embarrassment is the emotion you should be feeling if you have not seen Shakes the Clown. You owe it to yourself to see this terrific comedy. The language in this is classic. Like when Shakes shows up at a birthday party and the father asks "You the clown?" and Shakes, in full clown get-up, responds "No, I'm Mary F'ing Poppins." That is just funny.If there is one comedy that I am glad I stumbled upon, Shakes has to be it. It just goes from one hilarious quote or scene to the next. Who knew alcoholic clowns could be so much fun.If I was only limited to one movie to recommend to people, Shakes the Clown would be it. Get a case of beer and some buddies, then pop Shakes the Clown in the DVD player and prepare to be completely satisfied. In case you are wondering, it can be enjoyed sober.

Swag Valance (witness-7) A reviewer at the Boston Globe once called this, "The Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies." Given the number of points of comparison, who could argue?I was reminded of this when I recently saw the 2003 movie, "Bad Santa" -- which was a similar one-joke, cynical comedy about an obnoxious alcoholic employed as a character meant to bring joy into the lives of children. (The name "Shakes" takes on a whole new meaning when the lead character attempts to detox.) If that one joke works, so goes the movie. So for comparison, I recently rented it not long after seeing "Bad Santa."While Bad Santa received a great number of favorable critical reviews, this movie wasn't as fortunate. Upon further review, I have to say that this movie never got the credit it deserved.Is it a great movie? Oh no. This is a movie that attempts to be so bad and foul, rolling in its own filth, that best targets people with the right, low-expectation mindset. But you could also say that of "There's Something About Mary."It employs humor in some of the background scenes a la "Airplane." Its use of cheesy 70s actors is pure genius and helps complete the joke. (Nevermind Robin Williams, an early Adam Sandler, and the then-future voice of Sponge Bob Squarepants as the evil Binky the Clown.) If you can manage a smirk during John Waters' "Mondo Trasho," you'll likely find the movie to be quite funny overall.It's Bobcat's opus, and its no wonder he never really made much of anything since; the same was true for Orson Wells after "Citizen Kane"...