Punching the Clown

I didn't realize how ready I was for something fresh until I laughed and smiled for 90 minutes watching this amazing low-budget comedy.

I went to see the movie in New York after getting a tweet from Sarah Silverman saying she loved it and that everyone should go see it. I saw that she actually called it "the funniest movie about comedy I've seen so far." My expectations were really high after that endorsement, but I quickly understood what she meant: it's better, or at least funnier, than any film I've seen on the subject of comedy, stand-up, the music business or even Hollywood image making. I was simply blown away. Not so much by the cinematography or the general look of it (which is fine, that's not the point of the movie), but by the amazingly witty situations and the funny dialog which is razor sharp, yet, at the same time, very laid-back and realistic. The plot is very original in the genre, even if the story is kind of a classic. Classic in a good sense. In fact, part of it seems completely real, but not in a mockumentary way. In a very good way.

And I'm forgetting to state the obvious: Henry Phillips is hilarious. His songs are beautiful and funny as hell. The film is so well balanced and intelligently structured that by the end of it I felt like I'd just witnessed something unique: a comical tragedy about a tragically comic man. I wanted more. I bought Phillips's last two CDs. He's no fluke. His music is as brilliant as the movie.