Comedy

Jenny Éclair's comedy heroes: David Sedaris, John Cooper Clarke and Jo Brand

The comic prefers 'comedy I can’t do, stuff that doesn’t touch my arena'

I’m very bad at having heroes. I don’t rate anyone particularly highly because I’m so snide and competitive and not very nice. The comedy I like the best is comedy I can’t do, stuff that doesn’t touch my arena. If I’m watching someone that’s a bit like…

For a Good Time, Call...

Substandard comedy starring Lauren Miller and Ari Gaynor

The mild hilarity of two good-hearted girls struggling to make a living in the grimy world of phone-sex provides the unpromisingly twee premise of Jamie Travis’s forgettable For A Good Time Call…, a comedy presumably funded as a goodwill vehicle for…

In the House (Dans La Maison)

Fascinating new offering from French filmmaker Francois Ozon.

A sparkling and superbly acted black comedy, Francois Ozon’s In the House is a fascinating companion piece to Ian McEwan’s new novel Sweet Tooth, in its exploration of both creating and consuming fiction. The wonderfully deadpan Fabrice Luchini plays…

Moone Boy

Chris O'Dowd's nostalgic sitcom is a fine mixture of the gently innocent and comedically knowing

The imaginary friend is a recurring staple of much comedy and drama from the loveable Harvey to the satirical Fight Club. In Moone Boy, the unreal buddy is played by Chris O’Dowd, as the psychological crutch to 12-year-old Martin Moone (David Rawle)…

5 things you might not know about Julian Clary

The camp comic rose to fame through appearances on The Joan Collins Fanclub and Sticky Moments

1 Born Julian Peter McDonald Clary in 1959, he gained his first flush of success as The Joan Collins Fanclub, accompanied by Fanny the Wonderdog who performed staggering impressions of the Queen Mother. Fanny died at the grand old age of 19. 2…

Ava Vidal talks sex, champagne and Sarafina

First record you ever bought Tone Loc: 'Funky Cold Medina'. Last extravagant purchase you made Nothing. I have teenage children. First film you saw that really moved you The Color Purple. Last lie you told Can't tell you that. First…

The Knot

Distasteful wedding comedy written by and starring Noel Clarke with Matthew McNulty

Noel Clarke emerged during the last decade as a British actor and filmmaker with distinct promise, but in recent years his prolific output has fallen far short of that potential. This wedding comedy, starring and co-written by Clarke, is surely his…

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Sincere and witty coming of age drama staring Ezra Miller, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman

Were space aliens to seek an insight into Earth society via the portal of American pop culture, they might be forgiven for coming away with the impression that boy adolescents bear the upper hand in most things. Blame The Catcher in the Rye, perhaps…

The Campaign

Half-hearted political comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis

The director of Meet the Parents answers a not-exactly gaping need here: welcome to another comedy in which Will Ferrell plays a particularly pompous and idiotic member of a profession prone to pomposity and idiotism. One does begin to fear that the…

An examination of Leos Carax's Holy Motors

The Cannes crowdpleaser questions the medium of cinema and the nature of performance

Whisked from place to place by his glamorous chauffeur Céline, a man initially seen in business attire keeps a succession of appointments. Before each stop, he transforms himself using elaborate costumes, wigs and prosthetics. He’s a crippled beggar…

The Thick of It

The ConDem coalition has been both a godsend and an almighty cul de sac for political satirists. Having two sets of people needing to work together for the greater good while not hating each other’s guts in public is almost what The Thick of It has been…

5 things you might not know about Joan Rivers

The groundbreaking female comedian is back on tour

1 Born Joan Alexandra Molinsky, she worked as a tour guide, wrote for an ad agency and had a stint as a fashion consultant before entering showbiz. Having changed her name to Rivers (on the advice of agent Tony Rivers), her first break was playing…

Revisiting: Husbands

Cassevetes' scripted comedy drama veers from the ridiculous to the sublime

It’s hard to star rate this one, on account that it veers from the ridiculous to the sublime with little shilly-shallying in between. As married men in the aftermath of a friend’s untimely death, John Cassavetes (starring and directing), Peter Falk and…

Comedian John Bishop talks to us ahead of his Rollercoaster tour

The Liverpudlian has spent his year taking on charity challenges and hobnobbing with the stars

‘Two days ago I was sat with Edward Norton, Will Ferrell, Graeme Le Saux and Patrick Kielty,’ John Bishop marvels. ‘Then Edwin van der Sar joined us, then Gerard Butler. We’re having a chat and Kenny Dalglish comes over and says, "Do you want a drink?…

Satirical comedian Andy Zaltzman shares a few of his comedy heroes

The Day Today, Robert Newman and Aristophanes are among Zaltzman's comedy greats

I do not have a single comic ‘hero’, but The Day Today is the comedy that most influenced and inspired me. I chanced upon it in the communal TV room at university, halfway through the episode which culminates in war between Australia and Hong Kong. Its…

Liberal Arts

Gentle indie romcom from How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor

A successful and beloved US sitcom star delves into his soul, and finds there a story of revisiting one’s past, coming to terms with one’s mistakes, and getting it on with a gorgeous, playful, precociously wise young woman. That was how the world got…

To Rome with Love

Woody Allen's latest is a joyfully silly tribute to the Italian capital

With his previous features Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen proved himself adroit at translating an American tourist’s view of the most beautiful (and undoubtedly clichéd) aspects of European culture to the big screen. Whereas…

A Few Best Men

Risible UK/Australian comedy rife with missed opportunities

David (the improbably named Xavier Samuel) returns to London following a backpacking jaunt down under. It’s only temporary though – while abroad he met the love of his life, Mia (Laura Brent), and impulsively proposed to her. He’s come back to ask his…

Ruby Sparks

Thoughtful, engaging romcom from the makers of Little Miss Sunshine

The directors of Little Miss Sunshine deal once again with the clash between romantic idealism and vulgar, messy reality, in a thoughtful, engaging romcom that draws great work from its central pairing. Paul Dano – Little Miss Sunshine’s mournful…

Johnny McKnight discusses The Incredible Adventures of See Thru Sam

The play will transplant a superhero story into an average secondary school

A play about superheroes has been a long time coming from Johnny McKnight, writer and director of See Thru Sam, which heads to the Tron this month courtesy of Random Accomplice. It’s the story of an ordinary boy with the extraordinary power of…

Untouchable

French box office hit about an unlikely relationship between a man and his carer

A colossal hit in its native France, this story, inspired by real events, looks on paper to be the kind of tactless three-hanky issue movie that Hollywood never misses an opportunity to churn out. Philippe (Francois Cluzet) is a filthy-rich…

Hit and Run

Bland action comedy from Hollywood star Dax Shepard

The personable star of TV show Parenthood, Hollywood hunk Dax Shepard bites off more than he can chew in Hit and Run, writing, co-directing (with David Palmer) and starring in a lightweight action movie sporting wilfully loquacious dialogue á la Quentin…

Hysteria

An irreverent drama about the invention of the vibrator, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy

Boasting a story that’s based on true – albeit improbable – events, Hysteria is a period drama with a helping or two of sex comedy, making it a cross between a Jane Austen adaptation and a Carry On film. The third feature from American director Tanya…

Five reasons to see John Cassavetes' Husbands

The restored 1970 indie dramedy stars Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk

1. John Cassavettes, the writer/director/star of Husbands, helped to invent the language of American independent cinema. Long, shambolic, improvised conversations; on-the-hoof street shooting complete with bemused bystanders; introspective middle class…

That’s My Boy

A mean-spirited, one-gag comedy from Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg

It’s no laughing matter that fewer comedies are scheduled for release in 2012 than ever before. While this summer’s Ted demonstrated the genre could still score substantial breakout success, Adam Sandler’s ear for laughs has turned from gold to tin…