THE COMEDIAN: No doubt intended as a tour de force for one of our most brilliant actors, Robert De Niro plays Jackie Burke, an aging iconic insult comic who has seen better days and sets about to reinvent himself although, sadly the film never quite lives up to its potential. However, if you enjoy someone of De Niro's stature cracking fart jokes, this is the one for you. And he is surrounded by top notch supporting players including Danny DeVito, Patti LuPone, Eddie Falco, Harvey Keitel, Charles Grodin and Cloris Leachman, not to mention a host of cameos by real comics playing themselves (Billy Chrystal, for example.) The problem here is the material and the script never quite sets fire. Skewering this group and that, I found the whole thing rather distasteful, not to mention the abundance of expletives. When I got home I had some mouthwash but the taste still lingers. Better luck next time, Mr. D.
