paul2001sw-1 Tom Shkolnik's 'The Comedian' is acutely an observed, well-acted but ultimately pointless film. A young man, hoping to make his way as a comic but otherwise without much purpose in life, drifts selfishly between relationships. Others are initially attracted to him but grow disenchanted by his inability to stake anything of his own on their interaction. This in turn upsets him, but it's unclear what he actually gets out of his own involvement beyond gratification to his own ego. There's a kind of tragedy here - the sense that this is not a bad person, per se, just someone who has no idea of how to be a good one - but there's no drama, just painful observation. Without anything to lose, the protagonist just isn't interesting for the viewer - indeed, he doesn't even appear to be very interesting to himself.

zif ofoz This is a fine simple story of a guy realizing his life has stalled in one spot and he cannot see the end of the tunnel. Ed hates his job for it is unfulfilling and he simply will not advance from his current status, he shares an apartment with a girl to which he has become emotionally attached but she is not attracted to him. He has ambition to be a stand up comedian but that appears to be at a dead end. He meets Nathan and the two are not really fully compatible as friends or lovers, and to top it off he feels as a misfit in his own family.Writer/Director Tom Shkolnik has cleanly created a film showing us the man Ed and his internal emotional conflicts that take him on a troublesome course of self discovery, wanting, and disappointment. Ed basically hits bottom by the end of the film. And I believe that is what Ed had to do to begin again and find his way back up to a meaningful life. Shkolnik smartly shows us at the ending of this story how through a simple conversation with the cab driver, someone Ed has never met before, how Ed realizes that everybody has problems in life and his are no different from somebody else's. These problems just happen to be his and you can see through the expression on his face that he's going to be alright.This excellent mumblecore flick makes you feel his confusions, his emptiness, his longing for purpose!

philipfoxe Just saw this on TV and very much liked it as did wife.One of the things I like about French cinema is that it is not really about a story, more about people and how they live.This approach is used here to good effect. I have lived in London all my adult life, and though no longer young, this film really resonated. It is not an arty farty film but a real slice of London life, told in an unassuming non judgemental way. The main character is a real person, with worries about his future and his relationships. We discover that he is gay and his awkward relationship with his family is well expressed without words; his parents love and concern mixed with irritation and prickliness is so believable. The scene on the bus where two initially friendly girls turn viciously homophobic is so realistic that it made me feel a bit sick. The dialogue was all too true! Just like a French movie, life goes on; no solutions, just like real life. Can't understand the low ratings here, the screenplay and the characters are well realised and well acted.

Tim Nielsen The title is such an amazing one, it should speak for it self, this should have been the great story about the hard works that goes into becoming a comedian! Not how to be depressed and not knowing what you want to do with your life.Please, do your research next time your gonna do a movie called "The Comedian" what was displayed as a "comedian" in this movie, was the exact opposite! This guy never sat down to spend hours on writing, he kept leaving the clubs???only scene that was remotely related to being a comedian, is the scene where MC trashes his act! I've seen that done before, that can easily get ugly! My advice, don't wast your time with this one!