Review of The Comedy (2012) by Anthony M — 09 Nov 2012

The Comedy is a 2012 black comedy film directed and co-written by Rick Alverson, and starring Tim Heidecker. Supporting actors include Eric Wareheim (Tim and Eric), James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), and Gregg Turkington (better known as Neil Hamburger). The film was screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The film is being distributed by Tribeca Film and is slated for theatrical release on November 9, 2012 and nationwide On Demand starting October 24, 2012.

Despite the title and use of comedians as actors, Sundance festival chief programmer Trevor Groth says that the film is not a comedy, but instead âa provocation, a critique of a culture based at its core around irony and sarcasm and about ultimately how hollow that isâ?.

The first ten minutes of the film was purposely leaked onto various torrent websites with an anti-piracy statement at the end of the video.

The movie starts off with a weird naked dance at a party with a drunk Swanson (Tim Heidecker), Van Arman (Eric Wareheim), and some other guy. We transition to Swanson in his home looking after his father whole a Doctor attends to him. Swanson is drinking alcohol also. Swanson helps some workers putting in a pot plant, until the home owners notice Swanson is there. Swanson asks them if he and his workers can swim in their pool.

Swanson leaves the yard. The home owners obviously didnâ(TM)t know he wasnâ(TM)t actually working for them. Next scene: Swanson is with Van and a couple of other friends, they are talking about their day and what they love â" and respect, too. Then a party happens with a bunch of random people and friends of Van and Swanson. Swanson gets along with some girl and they start having a deep conversation about life, racism, evolution, and many other things, too. Obviously both are very drunk.

The next morning: Swanson is watching some girl sleep. He starts playing with her hair, and eyebrows â" awkwardly. When she wakes up, Swanson rides her back to land on his boat. He moves onto and has lunch with a friend⦠a lot of other things happen that donâ(TM)t need to be detailed â" really, they donâ(TM)t. He and his friend go on a rant about how Hoboâ(TM)s are much cleaner than a lot of other things, and that a Hoboâ(TM)s cock is much cleaner too. It does get kind of gross at times.

Swanson gets drunk and goes to a black bar and tries to become friends with a group of black people, but he continues to make wrong comments, and beâ(TM)s disrespectful. He says that a generic type guy is a âBlack guy!â? The group do take it offensive. They know that Swanson is just drunk, they donâ(TM)t take offense to it. Swanson tells the guys that he wants to fuck some black asses. And then he starts to rape for them â" badly.

Van, Swanson and their friend get in a taxi â" and ask the Taxi Driver to turn on music. Swanson and Van get angry that the Taxi driver wont play music, so, Van and Swanson make their own music. They make a song âYouâ(TM)re gonna get a no-no-no-no- tip!â? I did laugh hard at that scene. They go on about the song for about three minutes. It was pretty funny.

Swanson tries to get his cab driver to let him drive his cab. Swanson offers him four hundred dollars if he will let him do it. Raj agreeâ(TM)s to it, but Swanson wants him to sit in the back so he can have the full experience. Swanson cons him into it, Raj agreeâ(TM)s even though he doesnâ(TM)t like it. But he didnâ(TM)t mind taking the four hundred dollars. Raj is worried that Swanson wont be careful with the Taxi. Swanson is enjoying it, a lot. He considers becoming a taxi driver at one point while driving the taxi. Swanson even goes as far to try and pick up a girl walking by herself on the road. He acts like she is a prostitute. She gets offended. Swanson runs away.

Swanson has a weird encounter with one of his co-workers. A waitress doesnâ(TM)t like his attitude and they get in a sarcastic war of words. Swanson tells her that he is a convicted rapist, and that weirds her out the most as she walks away from him. Swanson cuts his hand on some knifes and pans at the same time. He swears in pain and agony also.