A Thousand Clowns is about a twelve-year-old Barry Gordon who lives with his Uncle, Jason Robards. A social worker played by Barbara Harris shows up and ends up falling in love with Robards. But the child welfare people try to force Robards to get a good job so that they won't have to take Gordon away from him. Gordon, who also fancies Harris, looks up to his Uncle as his role model and loves his lifestyle. But then Gordon sees that Robards is willing to give up that great lifestyle in order to keep his "family" together.
The film is an excellent portrayal of the "not a care in the world" way of life and should definitely be seen by anyone who loves comedy. It's one of only a few films that made me laugh out loud and I'm sure if you see it, you'll agree with me. It's only flaw is one scene in which Gordon sees what his uncle's life has been reduced to. But even that was necessary as it shows the way anyone would succumb to social workers.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Picture, Supporting Actor (Martin Balsam as Robards' down to earth brother), Adapted Screenplay, and Score. Sadly, Best Supporting Actor was the only award that it was able to take home that night.
The film is an excellent portrayal of the "not a care in the world" way of life and should definitely be seen by anyone who loves comedy. It's one of only a few films that made me laugh out loud and I'm sure if you see it, you'll agree with me. It's only flaw is one scene in which Gordon sees what his uncle's life has been reduced to. But even that was necessary as it shows the way anyone would succumb to social workers.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Picture, Supporting Actor (Martin Balsam as Robards' down to earth brother), Adapted Screenplay, and Score. Sadly, Best Supporting Actor was the only award that it was able to take home that night.