The Opening Act

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2:03

The Opening Act

2020

1h 30m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Will Chu is stuck in a thankless job while trying to pursue his true passion in life, becoming a stand-up comedian. When he gets the opportunity he’s been waiting for, the emcee slot on the road opening for his hero Billy G., the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Between relentless hecklers, drunk comedy groupies and hard-to-impress morning radio DJs, things get off to a rough start. Even if he can learn from his idols and overcome the challenges, he’ll have to prove he has what it takes to make his dream a reality.

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Critics Consensus

With The Opening Act, writer-director Steve Byrne offers perceptive insights on the struggles faced by budding stand-up comedians -- and creative dreamers in general.

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Owen Gleiberman

Variety

Oct 19, 2020

Jimmy O. Yang gives a slyly appealing performance as a comic who may be too good a person to be a nightclub star.

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Robyn Bahr

The Hollywood Reporter

Oct 16, 2020

Lacking tangible emotional depth, and, frankly, much laugh-out-loud humor at all, The Opening Act is surprisingly underdeveloped for an intimate story about ambition and sacrifice.

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Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

Oct 16, 2020

3/4

A very insightful insider-baseball look at the creative process.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Jan 17, 2021

C+

Far too lightweight of a indie.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Jan 4, 2021

Only a veteran comedian could make The Opening Act a reality.

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Alan Ng

Film Threat

Jan 4, 2021

8/10

If you're not a fan of stand-up comedy, you may not be a fan of this film. For Steve Byrne's first feature film, the adage is still true-"write what you know."

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S. O

@Col._Angus Sep 1, 2026

Lots of good stuff here. And a great cast of comedians. If you like stand-up you'll probably like this.

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Jan 21, 2022

Self-indulgent tedious pablum.

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raphael g

@raphagimenes Mar 27, 2021

It was fine... funny.

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a a

@AAAAAA521 Feb 15, 2021

Great cast of comedians. Jimmy OYang kills it in the lead. Totally worth the watch.

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Nov 23, 2020

I saw The Opening Act over the weekend...really enjoyed it. It was shot well, story was engaging and loved the use of all the comics in it.

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Nov 14, 2020

This guy just might possibly be the worst stand up comedian I ever saw in my life 2.3. I can’t stress enough how terrible of a stand up this guy was at stand up . It inspires me to give stand up a shot . Tom segura legit made a 30 second appearance and was great

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Synopsis

Will Chu is stuck in a thankless job while trying to pursue his true passion in life, becoming a stand-up comedian. When he gets the opportunity he’s been waiting for, the emcee slot on the road opening for his hero Billy G., the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Between relentless hecklers, drunk comedy groupies and hard-to-impress morning radio DJs, things get off to a rough start. Even if he can learn from his idols and overcome the challenges, he’ll have to prove he has what it takes to make his dream a reality.

Director: Steve Byrne
Producer: Peter Billingsley, Sefton Fincham, Vince Vaughn
Screenwriter: Steve Byrne
Distributor: RLJE Films
Production Co: Look to the Sky Films, Wild West Picture Show Productions
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 16, 2020
Runtime: 1h 30m

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