The Comedy (2012)
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 28
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 15
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 3.7/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 11
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 3,423
My Rating
Movie Info
On the cusp of inheriting his father's estate, Swanson (Tim Heidecker, "Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!") is a man with unlimited options. An aging hipster in Brooklyn, he spends his days in aimless recreation with like-minded friends ("Tim & Eric" co-star Eric Wareheim, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and comedian Gregg Turkington a.k.a."Neil Hamburger") in games of comic irreverence and mock sincerity. As Swanson grows restless of the safety a sheltered life offers him, he tests the
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Cast
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Tim Heidecker
Swanson -
Eric Wareheim
Van Arman -
Kate Lyn Sheil
Waitress -
Alexia Rasmussen
Young Woman -
Gregg Turkington
Bobby -
Liza Kate Walter
Sister in Law -
James Murphy
Ben -
Jeffrey Jensen
Cargill -
Grace Rex
Nurse -
Adam Scarimbolo
Brent -
Neil Hamburger
Bobby
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The Comedy Trailer & Photos
All Critics (28) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (15)
The longest and dreariest 94 minutes I've spent on a movie this year.
Top CriticNone of this is necessarily funny. That's the extent of the irony here.
The joke, I guess, is that there's nothing funny about "The Comedy."
A mean-spirited piece of mumblecore that tries to provoke you, but only succeeds in boring you.
A character study that tries to make the revolting compelling.
If you can discern any critical distance or interesting perspective here, or even a good reason to spend 90 minutes in such company, I'm afraid the joke is on you.
An essential portrait of a generation of people laughing so hard that they've forgotten the joke is on them.
This is a lacerating portrait of the sort of narcissistic self-loathing that has kept educated, economically comfortable young people from achieving their true potential, from Benjamin Braddock to Hannah Horvath.
Champions what it appears to mock and indicts what it appears to glorify.
[A] relentlessly aimless, abrasive stab at black humor.
All this is credible enough until Swanson exits the airtight bubble of his peers to bully New York City at large.
Pushing the boundaries of taste isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the film is so busy daring its audience to hurl insults that it forgets to simply be funny.
A billion times better than Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.
It's a long, painful sit that claws at interpretational ambition, but only nails the rare moment of enlightenment, wasting 90 minutes of screentime to acquire about 15 minutes worth of substance.
The Comedy may not aspire to be the portrait of a generation, but it certainly offers a scary dissection of a faux-careless Brooklynite sensibility that threatens to be the undoing of everyone involved.
An unconventional, unapologetic comedy that's unbelievably entertaining.
Its audience may be self-selective in the extreme, but few films have better articulated the limits of irony as a force field against the world.
Audience Reviews for The Comedy
Super Reviewer
Many people see this film as a critique of hipster culture. Exposing the popular fallacy of believing that it is better to be above it all. To make a life of understanding the way the game is played, but just choosing not to play. There is definitely some of that peppered in this film, but what I really latched on to was the character study; one of a man who is obviously capable of empathy and understanding, but seldom exercises either mental process.
At first it appears he feels nothing. Sitting beside the bed, concerned little with the cancer that is languidly eating away bit by bit at the man who he calls father, he probes the doctor about prolapsed anuses. Watching his sister-in-law frantically pace before his eyes, he assumes the role of a southern plantation owner, cracking wise about the good crop of slaves he now has in his possession. Yet, aided by a surprisingly subtle but strong performance by absurdist comedian Tim Heidecker, one can see that he isn't incapable of feeling. He simply prefers disaffection. After all, the world can some easily overwhelm you with emotion, so I understand the desire to want to control the sentiment of the room by creating one yourself.
There are a lot of parallels to the television show Louie. It has the capacity to make you laugh at the absurdity of it all one second, while leaving you speechless with grief the next. It is a recipe that doesn't sit well with many. But for those who were looking for this particular dish, even if as a whole it isn't perfect, the ingredients are a pleasure to take in.
Super Reviewer
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- Swanson: I had a great day! I went to the shopping mall.
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- Swanson: Hitler had... Hitler had horrible indigestion.
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- Swanson: Why don't you fuckers have satellite radio in this cab? You pay so much fucking money for these cabs you should have the option to listen to whatever kind of music you want.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Globe Campaign for Tim | 6 months ago | 0 |
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A 35 year old hipster, who is on the verge of inheriting his dying father's estate spends his days on his boat or galavanting through downtown acting like he works at places he doesn't. His nights are mostly spent with his equally depressing and boring hipster friends who share in weird conversations with each other and drink. That's the basis of the story to the film, and most of the time a lot less than that is going on.
The Comedy is offbeat and weird to be sure, but that is a big reason why I like it, I think. I love movies that desire to be something completely different and don't care how it's going to play to a large audience. This is completely different and it will never appeal to a large crowd, but there is an audience for it.
By the way, The Comedy isn't really a comedy. You'd be hard pressed to throw this into any genre other than the broad Independent film genre. As far as a recommendation goes for this film; I would never give anyone the idea that they would certainly enjoy it. Odds are most won't be able to sit through it and those that do will wonder why they did. For those out there like me though that have a taste for these type of movies, it's worth a look.