Apocalypse Clown

This is not something I thought would be genuinely enjoyable, yet alone really good! I figured it would be cheesy and cringy. However, the performances are spot on, and the dark humour is perfect! There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and some clever hooks. It has the feel of so many movies that have come before it, yet it is most definitely unique. In combination, I'm not sure any of these elements would have worked in the same way if they weren't in Ireland. It is a movie I would watch again, and one I'll be recommending to friends. Testament to the skill of the director in pulling this off.

The setting is simple, and yet so bizarre, that it's a wonder that this got funding -- but thank God it did! A group of washed-up clowns find themselves embroiled in a plan to save the day (or ruin it) when the power goes out from a supposed solar flare and everything goes to chaos.

While at times silly (though intentionally so), this film is packed with humour, both in the setting, the writing, and the very physical performances given by several of the actors.

It is this latter that makes this film really shine, elevating it from a fun romp to something more impressive. Natalie Palamides as Funzo and Ivan Kaye as the Great Alphonso are particularly outstanding, and not only deserve strong praise for their portrayals here, but deserve more major roles elsewhere to showcase their talents.

There's plenty of very Irish humour and references here that others might not get, but that's part of its charm. It's good to see Ireland put out interesting and odd cinematic experiences.

This is such fun nonsense. It's like watching a slapstick film when you were a kid, laughing at ridiculously outrageous jokes that shouldn't be funny, not caring that nothing makes sense. Except with a good dose of solid swearing.

I've always thought clowns were weird, and definitely not funny, but these lot were great. Obviously, their actual clown acts were rubbish but that's what made it.

Everyone plays their role perfectly and just the right side of hammy.

And when you can spot the build up to a joke a mile off and start chuckling with anticipation and glee, like it's the 100th time you've seen it, then you know you've been entertained.

When a legendary clown dies while berating Pepe (Fionn Foley), a hapless wanna-be clown, the remaining clowning community in Ireland gathers for his funeral, including lovelorn Bobo (David Earl), pompous The Great Alphonso (Ivan Kaye) and the thoroughly crazy street clown Funzo (Natalie Palamides) who has already made enemies of two human statues after she bit off the ear of one of them. In addition, journalist Jenny Malone (Amy De Bhrun) attends the funeral, thinking it's at least a step up from the filler material she had previously been given. Before the funeral is over, the human statues have found Funzo and a fracas results in them all being jailed overnight. Come morning, their cells are miraculously open and the streets are empty - and none of their electronic devices work. Could the end of the world have happened while they were out of commission? If so, what could the world possibly need more than a group of clowns, ready to bring joy and laughter amidst the chaos?

This is a hilarious comedy, full of clownish humour and a few scary bits too - just what you want in a movie starring clowns! There is a fair amount of satire, and some of the gags are rather broad, which might be a problem for those liking more sophisticated humour, but again - it's about clowns, of course it's going to be broad! Definitely worth seeing, particularly if you're starting to freak out about the real end-of-the-world scenarios playing out around the planet these days; this will at least let you laugh for an hour and a half.

In case you missed it, there are some very strong productions coming out of Ireland these days, films and series both. A trend worth watching. Speaking of worth watching, this absurdist gem from writer/director George Kane is also in that category. Film historians will remember when this bizarre style of comedy -- non-sequiturs, inane characters, joined only by the flimsiest of plots -- was the rule, not exception. America in the 60s. Props to Kane and his team for not only retrieving that lost format, but for stretching it to the very limit. A solar flare end-of-the-world survived by roving clowns holds the attention nicely. Not every gag works, and not every character succeeds, but the off-the-wall performance of Natalie Palamides as Funzo more than compensates. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))