The"Jimmy Show" is actor Frank Whaley's second picture following Joe the king. In this film Jimmy O'Brien a unfunny and very unsuccessful comedian deals with his needy girlfriend, his hard job and trying to make people laugh. This movie really does show the realistic life of a struggling comedian and it captures the characters true passion for his profession. But than again the plot just becomes a whirlwind of bad luck for jimmy and doesn't really seem to give him a break. Carla Gugino as Jimmy's girlfriend Annie gives a great performance and Ethan Hawke also manages to steal a few scenes away from his co-star and director Frank Whaley. Overall Whaley has great potential as a up and coming dramatic director.
21 Reviews
Depressing, downward spiraling, emotionally draining movie
editfilmr29 July 2002
... Must admit well acted, but "dark" & depressing film portraying a wannabe stand-up "comic" .... with no clue toward humour. Viewed this film at The Stony Brook Film Festival. One of a "book-end" weekend topping off another Frank Whaley vehicle ... "The Pursuit of Happiness". Frank (and his brother Robert, as his Tops boss Mr. Slocum) & his buddy Ethan Hawke stand out in this film as hopeless "common men" ... stuck in a rut of Life's problems and of no seeing any chance of rising above it. Frank (Jimmy O'Brien) sees a calling as a stand up comic, but a mix of stage fright and overwhelming domestic problems, put him in a trance, undermining a "true" escape from his downward spiraling Life. See it for the acting (which is top notch), but as with earlier comments, if U need a feel good and less tragic movie see Frank Whaley in "The Pursuit of Happiness" .
The Jimmy Show...a Jersey classic
btjohnny30 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The Jimmy Show A real loser-festival, and star/director Frank Whaley (brilliant character actor from a number of Oliver Stone films) made this labor of love/hate to the Garden State. Made in 2001 in the wonderful N. Jersey and Staten Island area, a dreary and understated work about a working stiff named Jimmy O'Brien who marries his high school sweetheart (Carla Gugino is touching) and works a series of sh#t jobs (which he is just not able to do). He cares for his grandmother in a wheelchair and lives in her home with his wife and new born baby girl. Jimmy has the idea to become a stand-up comic by getting an open mike spot.
Frank Whaley's indie film is inspired by the world of Bruce Springsteen's poetic songs (the soundtrack is composed by brother Robert Whaley) and the dead end existence of white working class males. Jimmy's try at stand-up comedy is sad, he rants anger and pain without a laugh. He tells his life story on stage to a hostile and bored audience. His wife is now going to leave him, and his grandma is dying.
One of the most watchable films to come out of Jersey, not for it's boldness but for it's intent to show life as an abandoned car on the side of the road. The ending is surprisingly uplifting and full of hope. Whaley is a rare talent and a good storyteller. Rent it today and feel like sh#t.
Frank Whaley's indie film is inspired by the world of Bruce Springsteen's poetic songs (the soundtrack is composed by brother Robert Whaley) and the dead end existence of white working class males. Jimmy's try at stand-up comedy is sad, he rants anger and pain without a laugh. He tells his life story on stage to a hostile and bored audience. His wife is now going to leave him, and his grandma is dying.
One of the most watchable films to come out of Jersey, not for it's boldness but for it's intent to show life as an abandoned car on the side of the road. The ending is surprisingly uplifting and full of hope. Whaley is a rare talent and a good storyteller. Rent it today and feel like sh#t.
Depressing
cmcole18 November 2004
I think "depressing" is definitely the best word for this movie. After seeing it once, I was not only saddened, but downright angry that anyone would make a movie that made me feel this way.
After masochistically making myself see it again, I grew to appreciate it somewhat more. The fact is, the movie does what it does very well; unfortunately, what it does is show us the story of a man whose life just outright sucks. He's a terrible comedian who can't say anything funny, he's a slightly alcoholic husband who can't support his family, and he's a lousy worker in a lousy job who can't make ends meet. The only person Jimmy sticks by is his grandmother, who ironically is the source of many of the disasters in his life.
In summary, I have to say it's a well made movie, but if you watch it, be prepared to be uncomfortable with life for a while.
After masochistically making myself see it again, I grew to appreciate it somewhat more. The fact is, the movie does what it does very well; unfortunately, what it does is show us the story of a man whose life just outright sucks. He's a terrible comedian who can't say anything funny, he's a slightly alcoholic husband who can't support his family, and he's a lousy worker in a lousy job who can't make ends meet. The only person Jimmy sticks by is his grandmother, who ironically is the source of many of the disasters in his life.
In summary, I have to say it's a well made movie, but if you watch it, be prepared to be uncomfortable with life for a while.
do you have any muligatani?
vertigo_1411 July 2003
what a depressing film this was! frank whaley stars as jim, a guy who finds himself narrating his his dwindling life saga to a near-empty room of strangers at each open mic night in a small town new jersey bar. he almost forces the crowd to listen to how each day seems as bad as the one before, with him getting fired from his job, his wife divorcing him, or having to care for his ill mother (although that doesn't seem to both him as much).
i have always enjoyed frank whaley in comedy (although he does almost none of that anymore) but this does not really qualify as comedy, no matter how dark or satirical. although, there is one scene in the movie where jim is working at swamie hots, an Indian fast food place, where you get a little comedic shine on an otherwise horribly depressing film.
i have always enjoyed frank whaley in comedy (although he does almost none of that anymore) but this does not really qualify as comedy, no matter how dark or satirical. although, there is one scene in the movie where jim is working at swamie hots, an Indian fast food place, where you get a little comedic shine on an otherwise horribly depressing film.
Sometimes there isn't a happy ending
lance-625 September 2004
This is a well-done man vs. himself movie, with a downward spiral that is more moderated and even than most of those sorts of stories. This isn't a party people, drug-addled downward spiral, or a thug life, violence-addled downward spiral -- it's just a normal life, unfortunate circumstances, rut-addled downward spiral.
I liked the comedy routine gimmick most of the time, and it provided an off-beat break from the otherwise bleak and mostly mundane storyline -- that being the life of Jimmy, who has become trapped in a sour, unfulfilled plane of his own existence, partly due to circumstance and partly due to a poisoned outlook on life.
Those who have said "don't watch this for a pick-me-up" are absolutely correct -- this is a painful movie that is likely to leave you with a grimace, or at least a furrowed brow. It's a sad but not unrealistic testament to the kind of unsatisfying, confounded lives that are lived by plenty of people every day. Lonely, uncomfortable with the results of one's life, yearning for something more but chained down by the shackles of life (imagined or real, or both).
Another reviewer here asked what value there is to be had from this movie. The answer is that it serves as a reminder of lives that have neither a happy ending, nor an over-done, trite, or bizarre bad ending. It's the photo negative of "Falling Down", in a way, where the Michael Douglas character doesn't clench his jaw and go on a beeline ass-kicking spree across town -- he just clenches his jaw and keeps trudging along as dark turns to black. (And does an equally-grim stand-up comedy act, which gets better as it goes along, without ever getting funny.)
It definitely deserves a better rating than the 4.4 it has now. I gave it a 7. There's nothing wrong with it aside from the fact that it portrays a pretty ordinary, unfortunate life story. It does that well, and the comedy routine thing is a nice quirk.
I liked the comedy routine gimmick most of the time, and it provided an off-beat break from the otherwise bleak and mostly mundane storyline -- that being the life of Jimmy, who has become trapped in a sour, unfulfilled plane of his own existence, partly due to circumstance and partly due to a poisoned outlook on life.
Those who have said "don't watch this for a pick-me-up" are absolutely correct -- this is a painful movie that is likely to leave you with a grimace, or at least a furrowed brow. It's a sad but not unrealistic testament to the kind of unsatisfying, confounded lives that are lived by plenty of people every day. Lonely, uncomfortable with the results of one's life, yearning for something more but chained down by the shackles of life (imagined or real, or both).
Another reviewer here asked what value there is to be had from this movie. The answer is that it serves as a reminder of lives that have neither a happy ending, nor an over-done, trite, or bizarre bad ending. It's the photo negative of "Falling Down", in a way, where the Michael Douglas character doesn't clench his jaw and go on a beeline ass-kicking spree across town -- he just clenches his jaw and keeps trudging along as dark turns to black. (And does an equally-grim stand-up comedy act, which gets better as it goes along, without ever getting funny.)
It definitely deserves a better rating than the 4.4 it has now. I gave it a 7. There's nothing wrong with it aside from the fact that it portrays a pretty ordinary, unfortunate life story. It does that well, and the comedy routine thing is a nice quirk.
A so-so story of a so-so born loser.
acearms13 December 2003
I watched this movie because I'm a fan of Ethan Hawke. Sad to say, there was little good about it. Frank Whaley always looked strained trying to get his part right, while Ethan appeared relaxed and natural. That's the difference between a want-a-be and an outstanding actor. The high light of the movie was when Ethan Hawke, playing an inept grocery store stocking clerk, kept dumping his load of boxes off the dolly. The part played by Whaley was of a loser want-a-be stand-up comic who could not make the grade and was never funny. The pathetic Whaley character was a thief (stole from his employer), drunk (what he stole was beer), argumentative individual (couldn't hold a job), and general misfit. As to the movie itself, it was a drag, repetitive in its plot with only the local changing. In other words, the plot was recycled every few minutes. In general slow and predictable, a bore to watch, and if you haven't seen it yet, don't waste your time.
Depressing and totally pointless film.
dlamanti13 May 2004
I kept waiting around for something redeeming to happen - it doesn't. As far as I could see, this was a totally pointless movie about a loser who never learns anything about himself. He is a self centered, self pitying person who never "gets it" - i.e., he is the problem. It makes me wonder - Who would put up money to make a movie like this? This was so bad!!!
Absolutely Atrocious!!
LouisP908615 June 2010
This is absolutely one of the most dreadful movies I have ever watched in my life. I can't believe I wasted my time on this. All I can do is laugh at Snodra's review. This is not a well made movie at all.
If the creators of the film weren't so concerned with making you feel uneasy, they would have noticed all the dumb little mistakes they made when making this movie. I spent more time laughing at the poor continuity, holes in the story, and the absolutely idiotic main character...miserable piece of crap he is.
As an example of the holes in the story, Jimmy said that his daughter was born on the exact same day they got married. However, later on in the movie, their anniversary and his daughter's birthday were on completely different days. How could anyone who spent time trying to make a good movie miss something like this? Seriously...Not one single person who read this script noticed this?
Also, the grandmother was clearly still breathing when she was supposed to be dead. You can see her chest moving for crying out load. I laughed when they cut to the funeral after this scene.
At least I manged not to kill myself before it was over.
If the creators of the film weren't so concerned with making you feel uneasy, they would have noticed all the dumb little mistakes they made when making this movie. I spent more time laughing at the poor continuity, holes in the story, and the absolutely idiotic main character...miserable piece of crap he is.
As an example of the holes in the story, Jimmy said that his daughter was born on the exact same day they got married. However, later on in the movie, their anniversary and his daughter's birthday were on completely different days. How could anyone who spent time trying to make a good movie miss something like this? Seriously...Not one single person who read this script noticed this?
Also, the grandmother was clearly still breathing when she was supposed to be dead. You can see her chest moving for crying out load. I laughed when they cut to the funeral after this scene.
At least I manged not to kill myself before it was over.
A brilliant tragedy
Snodra2 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
In my opinion Frank did a brilliant job of writing, acting and directing this tragic story of Jimmy, who, but for the grace of the universe, could have been any of us. The very ordinariness of much of the details of the story and of the characters juxtaposed against Jimmy's awesome courage in telling it in all its misery from the stage of the comedy club night after night was a stroke of genius.
I think it perfectly set up for a sequel which could either give us one of those happy Hollywood endings, or take Jimmy's life to even further tragic ends. I'm hoping to see that sequel, although I feel it could stop where it did and leave the rest to our imaginations as it has done. The death of his grandmother, and the leaving of his wife and daughter make him free at last to go anywhere and do anything. Sometimes I think he'll find himself and build a good life, with at least weekends with Wendy, and other times I see him digging other deep, dark holes for himself. I think that was Mr. Whaley's objective: to make us wonder about this character, and if so, he has succeeded beyond his dreams.
I think it perfectly set up for a sequel which could either give us one of those happy Hollywood endings, or take Jimmy's life to even further tragic ends. I'm hoping to see that sequel, although I feel it could stop where it did and leave the rest to our imaginations as it has done. The death of his grandmother, and the leaving of his wife and daughter make him free at last to go anywhere and do anything. Sometimes I think he'll find himself and build a good life, with at least weekends with Wendy, and other times I see him digging other deep, dark holes for himself. I think that was Mr. Whaley's objective: to make us wonder about this character, and if so, he has succeeded beyond his dreams.
Why did they label it as a comedy?
xoxichigoxox17 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I found it more depressing than funny. I was looking for more humor than sadness. It's it turns out to be very very sad. Everything turns for the worst for Jimmy. Everything that happens to Jimmy gets more and more depressing. He gets fired from the grocery job. He doesn't get any laughs at the comedy clubs. He keeps getting fired from his jobs. His wife leaves him. His grandma can't move on her own. His insurance is canceled. He is unable to buy his grandma's pills. It's all so sad. I only laughed twice and that's when his friend was moving boxes on the cart and they fall over twice. It's sad to see what happens to him and how he reacts to everything.
Offers certain truths but lacks hope and humor.
jaykay-124 February 2002
I saw"The Jimmy Show" at a screening at the American Film Market 2002 last week and, while it contains home truths about life in suburban America, I found it heavy going. The producers call it a bitter-sweet love story but to me it was more bitter than sweet. Its big problem lies in its lack of an underlying vein of hope and optimism so often necessary in a story of this genre.
Jimmy O'Brien describes himself as "young, fresh and angry" but is in reality a born loser with sticky fingers. Holding down a supermarket dead end job by the skin of his teeth, he has aspirations as a standup comedian. Every Tuesday on open-mike night at The Laughing Stock comedy club, he dies on stage at the hands of a tough, no-smiling audience but this is nothing compared with what is happening inside Jimmy. He is slowing strangling on his own lack of initiative, ambition and basic social graces. Thrown out of his market job for stealing cases of beer, he continues along a seemingly downward path without benefit of humorous relief.
Frank Whaley wrote the screenplay, directed, and plays the role of Jimmy, and when such vital chores are taken on by one man, I can't help thinking the movie has more than the usual biographical aspects and should more accurately have been called "The Frank Show". In supporting roles, Carla Cugino as his long-suffering wife and Ethan Hawke as his co-worker provide adequate performances.
Not recommended for those in search of a feel-good movie.
Jimmy O'Brien describes himself as "young, fresh and angry" but is in reality a born loser with sticky fingers. Holding down a supermarket dead end job by the skin of his teeth, he has aspirations as a standup comedian. Every Tuesday on open-mike night at The Laughing Stock comedy club, he dies on stage at the hands of a tough, no-smiling audience but this is nothing compared with what is happening inside Jimmy. He is slowing strangling on his own lack of initiative, ambition and basic social graces. Thrown out of his market job for stealing cases of beer, he continues along a seemingly downward path without benefit of humorous relief.
Frank Whaley wrote the screenplay, directed, and plays the role of Jimmy, and when such vital chores are taken on by one man, I can't help thinking the movie has more than the usual biographical aspects and should more accurately have been called "The Frank Show". In supporting roles, Carla Cugino as his long-suffering wife and Ethan Hawke as his co-worker provide adequate performances.
Not recommended for those in search of a feel-good movie.
A consistent downer of a movie with no relief in sight.
morrisdo-211 February 2005
A portrait of a "regular" guy, who spends his days barely getting by in a series of dead-end jobs, and his nights perfecting his comedy routine in a series of sparsely-attended "open-mike" sessions at local comedy clubs, this film fails to deliver anything but a depressing series of vignettes centered around it's main character, played by Frank Whaley (who also wrote and directed). How any would-be stand up comic could keep trying to be funny, and yet be so patently unfunny, and for so long, is beyond me; I've seen my share of mediocre comedians, but they all pale in comparison to Jimmy, whose depressing routines consist of what appear to be confessionals, centered around his miserable existence. And then we get to experience this miserable existence first-hand, as the film cuts between Jimmy's stand-up routines and his personal life. What is the point of this sorry exercise? Otherwise effective, and at times touching, performances by Carla Gugino, Ethan Hawke, and Mr. Whaley himself are wasted here.
Huh?
RBNY7 September 2004
I was so disappointed in this film. I am a fan of the three leads. I thought Carla Gugino carried the film. Aside from that Jimmy's relationship with Ruth was touching. The context of the film was so depressing and angry. I ask why not give some hope for Jimmy and why end it without any closure for Jimmy. I am still spiraling downward with Jimmy. Frank Whaley is so talented that I could not believe this came from him. I hope next time he writes and directs he goes in a different direction. Frank has the talent to be a leading man and we already know he is a very credible character actor. Good luck to him and he can't go wrong working with Hawke or Gugino again.
Carla Gugino plays second banana to Frank Whaley. How good could it possibly be?
MBunge21 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Do you remember what Seinfeld was like when the show first began? There'd be the regular story with Jerry and Elaine and George and Kramer, and then there'd be little snippets of Jerry's stand-up comedy where the jokes would somehow related to story. If you can imagine that kind of thing, about 90 minutes long and starring a sad and pathetic loser who isn't funny at all
that's The Jimmy Show.
Frank Whaley is Jimmy, a working class guy who takes care of his invalid grandmother. He's got a job at the local supermarket, a girlfriend (Carla Gugino) he just knocked up and after a series of get-rich-quick schemes, he's settled on trying to make it as a stand-up comedian. And while the story is inconsistent in most ways, the one, grinding, inescapable constant is that Jimmy is a loser. And not a funny loser or a quirky loser or a hard luck loser, just a loser. There's nothing really interesting about Jimmy and the only empathetic aspect to the character is his commitment to caring for his grandmother. The movie follows Jimmy through marriage, having a daughter, divorce, menial employment of one form or another and through it all, Jimmy is going to open mic night at comedy clubs for his 10 minutes in the spotlight.
This movie is adapted for a stage play and I can only hope that there was initially some point to the story. I hope the play tried to say something about standing on the lower rungs of the Ladder of Life and never being able to take a step up, because there's nothing like that in the movie. Jimmy is a loser and, except for a moment of happiness when his daughter is born, his life sucks and just keeps on sucking. But it's not that his life is bad because he's unlucky or there's something wrong with him. It just sucks.
I can only imagine the moments when Jimmy is on stage as a comedian are supposed to provide some insights into who and why he is what he is, but it doesn't do any of that. He starts out as just a desperately unfunny wannabe, but quickly morphs into this Spalding Gray-ish monologist who just talks about his life. But there's never any connection between what he's saying on stage and what's going on in his life, except it all just sucks.
The movie also suffers from an inability to maintain a consistent tone. Sometimes Jimmy is a somewhat dull witted guy and then sometimes he's a bitter smartass. Sometimes Jimmy is completely passive and then sometimes he's confrontational and in control. There are moments when we're supposed to think his daughter is sort of the cornerstone to his life, yet the girl is absent from long stretches of the film.
Sometimes when you watch a bad movie, you can still imagine how someone at some point thought it might be good. One of the worst movies I've ever seen was Megaforce, starring Barry Bostwick, about a high-tech military squad battling the forces of evil. I actually talked my brother into going to see that instead of, I believe, Rocky III. But even with Megaforce, I can imagine someone sitting around saying "It's got laser guns and explosions and a flying motorcycle. It'll be so cool!" I can't imagine anyone sitting around and saying "Boy, people are really going to enjoy The Jimmy Show".
Frank Whaley is Jimmy, a working class guy who takes care of his invalid grandmother. He's got a job at the local supermarket, a girlfriend (Carla Gugino) he just knocked up and after a series of get-rich-quick schemes, he's settled on trying to make it as a stand-up comedian. And while the story is inconsistent in most ways, the one, grinding, inescapable constant is that Jimmy is a loser. And not a funny loser or a quirky loser or a hard luck loser, just a loser. There's nothing really interesting about Jimmy and the only empathetic aspect to the character is his commitment to caring for his grandmother. The movie follows Jimmy through marriage, having a daughter, divorce, menial employment of one form or another and through it all, Jimmy is going to open mic night at comedy clubs for his 10 minutes in the spotlight.
This movie is adapted for a stage play and I can only hope that there was initially some point to the story. I hope the play tried to say something about standing on the lower rungs of the Ladder of Life and never being able to take a step up, because there's nothing like that in the movie. Jimmy is a loser and, except for a moment of happiness when his daughter is born, his life sucks and just keeps on sucking. But it's not that his life is bad because he's unlucky or there's something wrong with him. It just sucks.
I can only imagine the moments when Jimmy is on stage as a comedian are supposed to provide some insights into who and why he is what he is, but it doesn't do any of that. He starts out as just a desperately unfunny wannabe, but quickly morphs into this Spalding Gray-ish monologist who just talks about his life. But there's never any connection between what he's saying on stage and what's going on in his life, except it all just sucks.
The movie also suffers from an inability to maintain a consistent tone. Sometimes Jimmy is a somewhat dull witted guy and then sometimes he's a bitter smartass. Sometimes Jimmy is completely passive and then sometimes he's confrontational and in control. There are moments when we're supposed to think his daughter is sort of the cornerstone to his life, yet the girl is absent from long stretches of the film.
Sometimes when you watch a bad movie, you can still imagine how someone at some point thought it might be good. One of the worst movies I've ever seen was Megaforce, starring Barry Bostwick, about a high-tech military squad battling the forces of evil. I actually talked my brother into going to see that instead of, I believe, Rocky III. But even with Megaforce, I can imagine someone sitting around saying "It's got laser guns and explosions and a flying motorcycle. It'll be so cool!" I can't imagine anyone sitting around and saying "Boy, people are really going to enjoy The Jimmy Show".
I feel better now that it's over.
musicmeanu1 April 2021
I don't write a lot of reviews but this was one sad movie. It seemed like the redemption was right there, but Jimmy just didn't grasp the humor as much as he embraced the darkness. Maybe it was supposed to be a cautionary tale? Maybe it was a life lesson, wrapped up in a tragic story of a man who's life unfolds before his eyes as he yearns to find the humor in his tragic story? It may be worth your time, but it's not a comedy.
"I've had a tough year"
StevePulaski28 July 2014
The biggest point of irony in Frank Whaley's The Jimmy Show is that, while the film concerns the ideas of a standup comic and his standup comedy routine, it is not funny or comedic in the least bit. In fact, it's one of the saddest films I've seen all year. It tells the story of Jimmy O'Brien (Whaley), who slogs at his redundant day job as a supermarket clerk, ripping the company off of its twenty-four packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon every single day and talking to his only friend, a stoner named Ray (Ethan Hawke). By night, Jimmy finds some sort of neurotic solace on stage at seamy comedy clubs, where he doesn't really tell jokes (well, attempts to but is met with not a single chuckle), but hold a therapeutic venting session for himself as the audience blankly stares or tunes him out. After watching him theoretically "bomb" a couple nights, we wonder why he keeps doing this. It isn't until we hear him tell Ray that he loves how people have to listen to him, whether they like it or not.
Right then and there, we get a sense of how lonely, desperate, and tired Jimmy really is. He's tired of not succeeding, job-hopping trying to find what he likes, but managing to find a way to screw it all up, whether it's stealing or simply not being cut out for the position. Jimmy lives with his wife Annie (Carla Gugino), whom he married right after he got her pregnant, and takes after his disabled grandmother, buying her her expensive medication and trying to make sure she sees another day. It doesn't take long for us to realize that Jimmy is sad and kind of a pathetic character, but even if some of his problems are brought-on himself and some of his actions aren't necessarily the right ones, especially if you're trying to build yourself a better life, it takes about fifteen minutes into the film before we start seriously feeling for the character and waiting for his break - like Jimmy himself is known to do.
Frank Whaley is tremendous as Jimmy, quiet, unassuming, but an incomparable knockout of a performer here, effectively conveying the many moods of his character through numerous different interactions with people or through his standup performances. Jimmy's standup performances are some of the most original things in the film, as they effortlessly structure and mold the character into a less-content and more quietly-disillusioned person than we could've ever imagined. His standup performances are occasionally interrupted by hecklers, to which Jimmy has no problem putting them on the spot in a unique and original way. Even though they may lead to him getting attacked on stage, at least he finds something resembling the power to defend himself spontaneously.
One of Jimmy's darkest insights is when, after Annie abruptly tells him she wants to part ways, he gets up on stage one evening and says, "One minute, you're falling in love over an ankle bracelet. And the next minute, you're dividing up the furniture. And in the middle of them two minutes, you make a baby, who's gotta learn it all by themselves." Piercing insight like that is what keeps the film afloat in a thematic sense, and blends fittingly with the film's great performances and slice-of-life focus.
The lengthy final scene in The Jimmy Show, set to a memorable and somber piano tune, makes for one of the most upsetting scenes in the film, regardless of how cliché it may seem. This is predominately because we see it happen in other films but, at the end of the day, there's still a chance for the main character. By then, we realize the character has not only run out of chances but has never really had one in the first place. "I've had a tough year," he says one night at a comedy club, but the audience, at this point, feels like heckling and saying, "you've had a tough life." For those who have a difficult time imagining what this film is like, imagine an episode of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm that isn't funny but deeply heartbreaking.
Starring: Frank Whaley, Carla Guigo, and Ethan Hawke. Directed by: Frank Whaley.
Right then and there, we get a sense of how lonely, desperate, and tired Jimmy really is. He's tired of not succeeding, job-hopping trying to find what he likes, but managing to find a way to screw it all up, whether it's stealing or simply not being cut out for the position. Jimmy lives with his wife Annie (Carla Gugino), whom he married right after he got her pregnant, and takes after his disabled grandmother, buying her her expensive medication and trying to make sure she sees another day. It doesn't take long for us to realize that Jimmy is sad and kind of a pathetic character, but even if some of his problems are brought-on himself and some of his actions aren't necessarily the right ones, especially if you're trying to build yourself a better life, it takes about fifteen minutes into the film before we start seriously feeling for the character and waiting for his break - like Jimmy himself is known to do.
Frank Whaley is tremendous as Jimmy, quiet, unassuming, but an incomparable knockout of a performer here, effectively conveying the many moods of his character through numerous different interactions with people or through his standup performances. Jimmy's standup performances are some of the most original things in the film, as they effortlessly structure and mold the character into a less-content and more quietly-disillusioned person than we could've ever imagined. His standup performances are occasionally interrupted by hecklers, to which Jimmy has no problem putting them on the spot in a unique and original way. Even though they may lead to him getting attacked on stage, at least he finds something resembling the power to defend himself spontaneously.
One of Jimmy's darkest insights is when, after Annie abruptly tells him she wants to part ways, he gets up on stage one evening and says, "One minute, you're falling in love over an ankle bracelet. And the next minute, you're dividing up the furniture. And in the middle of them two minutes, you make a baby, who's gotta learn it all by themselves." Piercing insight like that is what keeps the film afloat in a thematic sense, and blends fittingly with the film's great performances and slice-of-life focus.
The lengthy final scene in The Jimmy Show, set to a memorable and somber piano tune, makes for one of the most upsetting scenes in the film, regardless of how cliché it may seem. This is predominately because we see it happen in other films but, at the end of the day, there's still a chance for the main character. By then, we realize the character has not only run out of chances but has never really had one in the first place. "I've had a tough year," he says one night at a comedy club, but the audience, at this point, feels like heckling and saying, "you've had a tough life." For those who have a difficult time imagining what this film is like, imagine an episode of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm that isn't funny but deeply heartbreaking.
Starring: Frank Whaley, Carla Guigo, and Ethan Hawke. Directed by: Frank Whaley.
Want to feel better about YOUR life?
futures-14 September 2007
Starring, written and directed by Frank Whaley, "The Jimmy Show" (with two other significant actors - Carla Gugino and Ethan Hawke) is a story of a wannabee stand up comedian. He has his dreams, and like most dreams, real life gets in the way. Still, Jimmy doesn't give up his desire to be a funny man standing on a spotlit stage in front of appreciative people. What is he willing to trade away for his dream? Does he understand what making a dream materialize entails? Will others support him? Let me put it this way: I GUARANTEE that you will feel better about your life, by watching "The Jimmy Show". This is an extremely focused, linear, painful story about an awkward, rationalizing, self-defeating man who threatens to pull everyone nearby under with him. There's not a single laugh in this story of comedian dreamer. Frank Whaley carries the story on his shoulders, and does a fantastic job. Gugino is also strong. Hawke does what he does well.
Frank Whaley deserves credit
MarieGabrielle7 February 2006
for directing this unusual film, having read the other reviews, I agree that, while this is not a "feel-good" movie, it is more of a character study, and as long as you don't picture yourself living his life, you won't get depressed.
But isn't that the point of a good film?. It could be, or has been something similar to our own life. We all relate to a loser boss, and co-employee Ethan Hawke is excellent. When Whaley gets in trouble at work, Hawke has mentioned to the boss that beer was missing. Whaley says ..."did you also mention that you smoke an ounce of pot a day before coming to work?"... Hawke: "No, it didn't come up"!. They work at a Tops/Costco supermarket, and it is certainly believable that people working there would need mind-altering substances!.
We see Whaley's general sense of alienation; Whaley also takes care of his grandmother, played by Lynn Cohen. His creative release, and hope for a better life, is at the Laughing Stock, where he tries to do stand up comedy. I was reminded of the film "Punchline", (circa 1989), which was of a similar vein, Tom Hanks as the tragic-comic protagonist. Carla Gugino plays the wife, and is realistic.
While it is not a "feel-good" movie it is a realistic portrayal of an average guy, there are some funny scenes like where he works at an Indian fast-food restaurant, and also selling fireplaces (very funny)... it is an original character study worth watching. You will especially relate to this film if you are from the metro NJ/NY area.
But isn't that the point of a good film?. It could be, or has been something similar to our own life. We all relate to a loser boss, and co-employee Ethan Hawke is excellent. When Whaley gets in trouble at work, Hawke has mentioned to the boss that beer was missing. Whaley says ..."did you also mention that you smoke an ounce of pot a day before coming to work?"... Hawke: "No, it didn't come up"!. They work at a Tops/Costco supermarket, and it is certainly believable that people working there would need mind-altering substances!.
We see Whaley's general sense of alienation; Whaley also takes care of his grandmother, played by Lynn Cohen. His creative release, and hope for a better life, is at the Laughing Stock, where he tries to do stand up comedy. I was reminded of the film "Punchline", (circa 1989), which was of a similar vein, Tom Hanks as the tragic-comic protagonist. Carla Gugino plays the wife, and is realistic.
While it is not a "feel-good" movie it is a realistic portrayal of an average guy, there are some funny scenes like where he works at an Indian fast-food restaurant, and also selling fireplaces (very funny)... it is an original character study worth watching. You will especially relate to this film if you are from the metro NJ/NY area.
Vastly underrated
Cosmoeticadotcom19 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In order to be a good critic one has to rise above one's personal biases. Period. If one cannot get past hating love stories or action films, then one should not practice the craft, because there are good films that are mere love stories or action films. It is the excellence of the film, and how it achieves its excellence, that is more important than what sort of a film it is. This basic lack of understanding how to separate one's likes from the objective ability of art to effectively communicate, is why most critics fail in their task. On a related plane is the inability of many critics to distinguish between when a film is something, and when it is merely about something. A good example of this is the 2001 independent film by actor/director Frank Whaley, called The Jimmy Show (nothing at all like the Jim Carrey vehicle, The Truman Show); his second directorial effort after 1999's lauded Sundance Festival film Joe The King. It is a very good, albeit not great, film about the depressing life of a working class loser. Yet, the film itself is never depressing, despite its being damned to obscurity by critics for that very fact. Again, the point is that film critics claimed something about the film that is about what the film portrays, not how it portrays it
. In many ways, Jimmy O'Brien is like George Bailey, from It's A Wonderful Life, save for two things- the first is that he's a miserable person whose own misery has cost him everything. He has no Mr. Potter as antagonist, and although George Bailey's choices also result in his depression at the end of that film, all of his choices have been selfless, not selfish. Jimmy O'Brien, on the other hand, has been behind all of his failures, because he has tried to please no one but himself. The second is that Jimmy O'Brien is beyond help and hope. Even were a guardian angel, like Bailey's Clarence Oddbody, to intervene, Jimmy would never pay attention long enough to learn. He has no need for others' counsel, and cares not to hear it.
In this way, The Jimmy Show is the ultimate realist film, for there are far more Jimmy O'Briens in the world than George Baileys. But, it is the life of the fictive Jimmy O'Brien that depresses one, not the film about him, for this little film can make one feel much better about the lives they've lived, not only because how well the portrait of him is crafted, but if only because a viewer is not as badly off as the lead character. How many DVD viewers lead lives that have far too much truck with aspects of the characters from this film? I would say too many- most of whom would not want to admit it, which is the answer as to why this film was so unfairly panned upon its release. Looking into a mirror, when one does not like what one sees, is always a downer, and The Jimmy Show is a filmic mirror for far too large a portion of an American audience for it to have ever had any great financial nor critical success. But, it is the failure to look at what the mirror reflects, rather than what the mirror is, that was the cause for much of the hostility that this good little film engendered. But, with that knowledge in mind, take a second glance into the looking glass of The Jimmy Show, and Jimmy O'Brien's life. It's worth a bit of redemption, if not for him nor you, then for art.
In this way, The Jimmy Show is the ultimate realist film, for there are far more Jimmy O'Briens in the world than George Baileys. But, it is the life of the fictive Jimmy O'Brien that depresses one, not the film about him, for this little film can make one feel much better about the lives they've lived, not only because how well the portrait of him is crafted, but if only because a viewer is not as badly off as the lead character. How many DVD viewers lead lives that have far too much truck with aspects of the characters from this film? I would say too many- most of whom would not want to admit it, which is the answer as to why this film was so unfairly panned upon its release. Looking into a mirror, when one does not like what one sees, is always a downer, and The Jimmy Show is a filmic mirror for far too large a portion of an American audience for it to have ever had any great financial nor critical success. But, it is the failure to look at what the mirror reflects, rather than what the mirror is, that was the cause for much of the hostility that this good little film engendered. But, with that knowledge in mind, take a second glance into the looking glass of The Jimmy Show, and Jimmy O'Brien's life. It's worth a bit of redemption, if not for him nor you, then for art.
Prepare to be Depressed
todd_dsm28 December 2003
Frank Whaley gave it his directorial all in this one as in "Joe the King". He has a unique voice among the other modern day quills of his medium.
This one though, will leave you with a personal malaise. Desolation and reality have now been given gravity with this picture. It's equally depressing that his instincts have drug him in this direction.
View at your own risk.
This one though, will leave you with a personal malaise. Desolation and reality have now been given gravity with this picture. It's equally depressing that his instincts have drug him in this direction.
View at your own risk.
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