Manny Lewis (2015)

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Sure it's a predictable Romantic Comedy, but it felt less contrived and more real, especially the first half. It's no Hollywood blockbuster but was such a joy to watch and seemed more authentic. Until the usual rom-com ending but that's always expected so it wasn't so bad. Also, in a way, it was a bit deeper than I expected as it touched on that everyday dreary misery and loneliness and how the cycle can be played out in normal situations. Also on past hurts and how that can create a twist in us, especially when things aren't going are way. Although these weren't heavily explored it definitely added depth to the characters and allowed me to connect with them so much more than i expected. Carl's acting is great and the humour isn't over the top. The leading lady was gorgeous but also played perfectly and not exaggerated and exhausting, but just quirky and simple and although there was no backstory to her, there was enough to care for her character. The music was also great with a favourite of mine by husky in there. Short and sweet, it leaves you with a smile!

I think we Americans, have become too jaded, by being fed a constant barrage of films without much substance. I mean, when is the last time that you came out of a screening, not only feeling better than good about the world, but really happy about the investment of just 89 Minutes? This was such a film. Although the film is based on a fictional character, a comedian, who also writes novels, we, immediately bond with the protagonist, and find ourselves living in his world, happily. I know men who would give up their right (you pick the body part) to have what this guy has, already, despite being brought up by a father who was a "martinet", at best, and a mother who committed suicide when he was just a boy. You know how you were rewarded at the end of "Love Actually"? When everybody gets what you hoped they deserved? This is such a film! It's a chick-flick for guys, that are in touch with their ying-yang, and know a good woman when they meet one. Admittedly, I've been looking for a woman like our female lead, all my life. That's why I give this film a TEN!

The film was done very well, considering that sometimes, lower Australian production values can impact certain areas of the film, with this film, no such issues. It was an interesting film that told an interesting story about a stand up comedian, and I believe it was done in such a way that it adds some perspective to the fact that our favourite comedians are people too, and that a lot of the humour in our lives comes at laughing at the expense of others, and often with stand up comedians, at themselves. This is a message that is hammered home throughout, and was overall, very heartwarmingly told.The acting was superb, and the dialogue was hilarious, a few subtle jokes for fans of Carl's stand up. Though it told a real and good story, it was still executed very comedically and was very funny. Though the story may in some cases appear to have some clichéd elements to it (the loss of the 10th star in my opinion), that would be up to an individual viewer to determine, and for others I watched the film with, they found it no issue, and sometimes were surprised, expecting clichés in some places.Overall, well worth a watch, not only for fans of Carl Barron, but because it is quite a funny movie.

Ten years ago I watched an Australian film called The Extra, which starred Irish comedian Jimeoin. I wondered at the time how he made such a terrible film and concluded it was the poor script. My childhood trauma was over and I'd never have to watch it again. Forwarding to the present day and some things have changed but others clearly not enough. At a recent screening my worst fears were again realised. It was the ghost of The Extra but now called Manny Lewis: a staggeringly unfunny Australian film made by people thinking they're hilarious. Sadly, the partnership between the director Anthony Mir, a former comedian himself, and funny man Carl Barron in the title role, is disastrous from start to finish.The film typifies the problems of the Australian film industry we've spoken about for years: the script is awful and underdeveloped and the film itself is generally lacking ambition. Nor is the premise funny or suitable for a comedy. Manny Lewis is a depressed comedian, tired of fame and living a lonesome existence. His mum has died and his relationship with his father (Roy Billing), who beat him as a child, is still unresolved. Take a moment to catch your breath from too much laughter. One night Manny makes a phone call to an erotic fantasy line where under a fake name of 'Tomaz' and he discusses his problems to Maria (Leeanna Walsman), who calls herself 'Caroline'.Due to sizable coincidences, get used to them, Maria sees Manny on television and realises who he is. By another chance encounter, she meets Manny randomly in person and they date. Manny doesn't know it's the same woman and she uses this anonymity to ask what he thinks about their dates whenever he rings the erotic hotline. Yes, he connects to the same woman every time. Meanwhile, Manny's long term manager and friend (Damien Garvey) is arranging for him to be contracted to an American company visiting Australia. Do they know what they're in for? What happened to comedians touring and performing gigs?Manny Lewis isn't satisfied by comedy alone, what a mistake, but values itself very highly as a melodrama. It wants us to feel or an unlikable jerk, who is as charming as a dirty sock. Manny is whiny, precious about his lifestyle, despite having an apartment overlooking the city, and still burdened by childhood issues. It's embarrassing for Barron, a fifty year old middle-aged man, to be playing someone still hampered by his dad hitting him and holding his head under water. Has he ever watched The Extra?The film's approach to self-loathing isn't hilarious and self-deprecating like the Paul Giamatti film Sideways. It's annoying and self-important when approached dourly through endless scenes and frames of Manny looking downwards in his luxury apartment. Who thought these first world problems of a middle aged man would be hilarious or worse, touching? What the writers call "complexity" amounts to further irritation: Manny complains about being alone but whinges over his girlfriend's small habits. He doesn't deserve her, which isn't fitting for a romantic comedy. Casting Barron as a romantic lead was fatal because, without being mean, he's not likable, handsome or funny in this particular role.At less than ninety minutes there are no laughs or fun to be had and too many boring, undernourished scenes lacking humour or drama. One riveting example of the characters sitting around politely is when Manny teaches Maria his method of eating a biscuit. The coincidences mentioned in the plot are also clumsy and improbable and compounded by the volume of clichés. At least there's no airport scene where Manny races to stop his girlfriend leaving. Instead, she's departing on a boat and its leaving tonight! Unbelievably, this coincides with Manny's childhood fear of water.Despite funding from Channel 7, Manny Lewis is made without much skill. The opening shot is promising, using a winding tracking shot to follow Manny and the individual frames aren't ugly. However, the remaining camera-work is static and flat and the audio design is lazy: the roaring laughter of Manny's stand-up audience off-screen is clearly canned laughter and pasted over the film. Typifying the lack of flare and the unimaginative direction is a cheesy montage scene after an argument between the film's couple.The only pleasant thing about the film is the pleasant face of Leeanna Walsman, who deserves a film not juvenile enough to think the only female in the movie will fix all his problems. Judging by the audibly depressed sighs and noises at the media screening (one elderly fellow sounded as though he was verging on an asthma attack) I wasn't solely dismayed by this film. According to the production notes, Barron and Mir went to Italy to write the script and indulged in fine dining. If they had worked on the script without these distractions the movie might have been watchable. As it stands, Manny Lewis doesn't deserve your time, only the Vaudeville hook.