Funny Bones

Not really a comedy - more a surreal, sometimes weirdly comic piece about comedians, about families, about the awfulness of having a famous father, about genius, about the problem of what makes a comic funny, about the sublime sadness of failure. Lee Evans is absolutely haunting as the tortured comic genius, the natural comic who is so purely a comedian that he can barely communicate except in gags, yet who will never be allowed to perform in public because of his dark past. Leslie Caron is heart-rending as his mother, a brave, faded French beauty stranded for ever singing mildly risque songs in Blackpool pubs, and their tender scenes together are for me the best thing in the whole film.

The whole cast is incredible...right down to Oliver Reed camping it up gloriously in a bizarre sub-plot which at first I thought might be part of the Evans' character's fevered imagination. It is a movie absolutely crammed with magic but in one of my favourite scenes, Oliver Platt arrives in Blackpool and instantly sees it peopled with characters from Donald McGill postcards - fat ladies, saucy girls with flouncy skirts, burly men. The ending is a bit wonky and looks to my eye to have been changed from a tragic one to a "happy" one to please audiences. In the two opening sequences, both Evans and Platt utter the words "I'm going to die" in very different circumstances, and mean very different things, and other variations on the theme of death and laughter follow - all this seemed to be pointing down a much darker alleyway than the one we got. Doesn't matter, though. Still a great movie.

Funny Bones is not a traditional comedy. It starts off being deliberately unamusing, yet it later becomes evident that this was done not only to establish reason for the events that occur during the rest of the movie, but also to create good character development. Oliver Platt proves that he is not only a great comedic actor, but he can be just as good when he is trying NOT to be funny. His on-stage scenes early in the film were not only well-lit but also wonderfully acted and photographed. Jerry Lewis also performs a surprisingly convincing role in a startling turn from sheer comedic hilarity to a seriously dramatic role as Platt's legendary comedian father.

Platt plays Tommy Fawkes, a struggling stand-up comedian trying to live up to the legacy that his famous father George Fawkes (Jerry Lewis) has created. George is now retired, and Tommy is struggling to get his career started. After yet another painful failure onstage, Tommy decides to travel back to Blackpool, England, where his family's comedy originated. The people that Tommy meets there are strangely fascinating, and Lee Evans delivers a particularly interesting performance as Jack Parker, the high energy comedian who is on the run from the law and is also George Fawkes' bastard son. His one full length comedy act is absolutely amazing to watch.

As Tommy is holding auditions trying to find something funny to include in his own act back in the States, he learns more and more about the people living in Blackpool and about their history as well as some dishonorable actions of his own father, and he learns an important lesson from it all. He ultimately finds his place in the world of live acting, and the transformation from who he was at the beginning of the film to who he is at the end is incredible.

Funny Bones is an excellent but very different comedy that is ultimately very rewarding and satisfying. The cinematic trickery and the skillful use of lighting add to the experience, and the acting is excellent all around. The circus scene at the end of the film was great, it was tense and amazingly well done. Although slow at times, this is a great film about overcoming obstacles and developing your own view of the world, as well as the importance of finding your rightful place in it.

I had seen the standard shots of this film when it came out and thought that the comedy seemed pretty bad - which put me off seeing it in the cinema.

However, now that it's been on TV I would like to recommend it to anyone who wants to see a film which has an original story, interesting characters, unusual settings, great acting, great photography.... generally the opposite of the usual Hollywood fare I usually have to suffer because of my friends.

So, to sum up, it's been marketed wrongly - this is not a film which you should see for a laugh; it's a film which constantly surprises - not least in dramatic turns in the story.

Loved it - 9/10

Although mostly overlooked at the time of release, this is undoubtedly one of the best films of the 90's. Elegantly surreal, Funny Bones is filled with wonderful visuals and a timeless quality.

At the center of this story stands Tommy Fawkes, a reluctant young comedian struggling in his famous father's (Jerry Lewis) shadow. Fawkes is masterfully portrayed by Oliver Platt, an incredibly talented actor who is often placed in supporting roles. Adept at all roles, it's always refreshing to find him as our lead. Platt has a particular gift for portraying the edgy hero, reminiscent of Karl Malden at his best. Somehow, he manages to make Tommy dark, yet uncomplicated.

In contrast, we have Jack Parker--seemingly the simplest of characters, he is the darkest and most complicated of all. This offered many of us our first glimpse of Lee Evans, a brilliant young UK actor/comedian with an astonishing penchant for physical comedy. His energy alone is enough to leave the viewer completely awestruck. If Fate is kind, we should have the good fortune of seeing a great deal more of him.

As for the rest of this stellar cast, Leslie Caron is charming as ever, George Carl and Freddie Davies are pure energy, and Jerry Lewis is, well, Jerry Lewis (there is no higher compliment I can pay him).

Essentially, this film is a requisite for anyone who enjoys surreal, dark comedy with a philosophical edge and an often slapstick pace.

"The dark moon, she pulls the tides also." --Thomas Parker (Freddie Davies)

Here is one more somewhat-unknown film I wish got more notice, although I'm not sure how many would like it because it's so different. It's a bizarre combination of humor and tragedy, of supernatural and straight drama. It's just an odd mix, but I find it very, very interesting and I've seen it three times, equally fascinated each time.

The movie goes back and forth between drama and comedy which makes unsettling for some viewers, but not me. It kept me on my toes, so to speak, even with those multiple viewings. Also in here is another example of how good comedians can be in dramatic roles, in this case, veteran comic Jerry Lewis. Oliver Platt plays his son, and does an outstanding job as the main figure in this film. The comedy is really provided by others, most notably the most tragic figure in the film: "Jack Parker," effectively played by Lee Evans.

There is really is no way to adequately explain this strange film in a few paragraphs. I would just say if you are looking for something different, give this a try. And stay with it, even if the first half hour is not to your liking. You will be rewarded.