Entertainment (2015)
Set in the Mojave Desert, the film follows a broken-down comedian playing clubs across the Southwest, working his way to Los Angeles to meet his estranged daughter.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Reviews
Just what I expected
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
I usually dig movies like this. Ones with wide open panoramic cinematography and nobody characters but this one really made no sense at all. We basically have this unstable guy who travels around doing a horrible comedy routine. He takes in the sights and wears a yellow hat. I get the premise of this movie. Basically it's a statement about how delusional we can be in our dreams. The main character absolutely fits that part. He doesn't know how to tell jokes, except to convicts and the most hilarity in his act is basically his comb over look. When someone heckles him he can't handle it and tears the person apart. He really doesn't care about anyone or anything.I do not recommend this movie even if you are a fan of independent movies. This one is really forgettable. It's not very good and its ending is abrupt and pointless.
I get what this film was going for, and I'm aware of the new sub- genre of "ultra-awkward," and yet none of this seems to change the fact that this movie didn't really stir any sort of emotion from me whatsoever. Turkington is interesting, but here we are treated to a series of scenes designed to make you cringe and wonder what the purpose is, if any, of anyone going to such great lengths to achieve such a ho- hum goal.There is elements of Sid and Nancy here. You have a bizarre cultural phenomenon (Hamburger) touring a bunch of po-dunk towns as to not "preach to the converted." The result is unhappy dullards responding harshly to an assault on whatever simple beliefs they have. It's no shocker that in the scene (spoiler) someone hucks a glass at Hamburger's head, because that actually happened to Greg at a real set. And in the film Greg seems to be surprised and keeps talking about getting "more security," which is mildly amusing because this guy antagonizes rednecks for a living. Neil Hamburger is a funny character for the most part, but in this there is no contrast between the character and the person. Both are utterly miserable creatures. There is no character arch to speak of. Greg goes from a hollow husk going through the motions to a hollow husk going through the motions. The Comedy was great because there seemed to be some resistance to giving into the great despair of life. There seems to be no point either in the other "celeb cameos." John C. Reilly plays a guy that literally could of been played by anyone's uncle. Michael Cera appears to draw out a few more cringes if you have any left to draw (I had begun to read a book at this point and glanced occasionally to see Turkington staring off at something with a frown, or sitting at the edge of his bed with a frown, or...well you get the point. Sadness. The sad clown is sad on the inside etc, etc.I guess this is a film about depression. As a comedy it doesn't make you laugh, as a drama it doesn't really have anything that dramatic happen, and it fails as nearly everything else. Also a big fan of Greg Turkington, but his near crippling cynicism is getting played out.
What is entertainment? What possesses someone to want to entertain? Life can grind us down to the bone. It can buoy us at a special moment. We are in a constant battle against the stark reality of a barren world. A world full of sand. Sand and hills. Anima and Animus. The energy needed to move the seemingly immovable object is at a premium. Skeletons of aeroplanes, littered amongst the dunes. Lime green and tanned yellow walls. Colours affect our perception. Death and rebirth all in one day. A fly. Stuck to the wall. Hanging around. What's the point of even trying. To make any of you laugh. Do you even know what it takes to put on a show like this?!
An exploration through the dark side of entertainment. A feverish introspective nightmare of a character who remains more mysterious by the end of the film than at the beginning. Entertainment drags us along on a slow road trip through the desert with a comedian who loses his self along the way. The line between reality and dreams become completely blurred. The whole film seems like an inside joke the filmmakers refuse to let us in on. Sure, there are funny moments, especially during the first half, but by the end you'll be left with more questions than answers.It's emotionally heavy, bizarre, heart-breaking, surreal and even somewhat disturbing. What is truly masterful is how, without ever fully understanding who this character is, the film causes us to lose our sense of reality with him. He is explored, with great depth, inwardly without us ever sure of who he is on the outside. Rick Alverson has perfectly re-created the dream logic story telling techniques and beautifully strange cinematography of a David Lynch film. Yet, he does this using his own voice, which is strikingly original. Entertainment is somewhere between a broken character study, an absurdist comedy and modern tragedy.Entertainment is not for everyone and if you try using your brain while watching it, you may give yourself a migraine. If you try to use your heart to feel your way through, you won't be sure where to put it and may feel depressed afterwards. This film is a trip that you have to allow to wash over you. Let yourself get lost in it's wonderful visuals and be sure to have friends to discuss it with afterwards.