BEWARE. COMIC GENIUSES AT WORK.Ā
Young comedian Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) fails miserably on stage in Las Vegas and runs away to Blackpool to study the subject of comedy; the town happens to be the place where his father, a legendary funnyman, was born. Director Peter Chelsomās film isnāt funny enough to successfully deal with this subject matter, but it does show how close tragedy is to comedy. It reminds me a bit of Local Hero (1983). The lead performances are very good and the director has his quaint style (which is fine), but the subplot involving Oliver Reed and smuggling feels superfluous.
1995-Britain-U.S. 126 min. Color. Directed byĀ Peter Chelsom. Cast: Oliver Platt (Tommy Fawkes), Lee Evans (Jack Parker), Richard Griffiths (Jim Minty), Leslie Caron, Jerry Lewis, Oliver Reed.
