Entertainment

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Entertainment

R

Released Nov 13, 2015

1h 42m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

An abrasive stand-up comic (Gregg Turkington) hits the road to perform a series of shows at seedy venues.

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Critics Consensus

As brilliantly and uncomfortably confrontational as its protagonist, Entertainment is a boundary-blurring exercise in cinematic misanthropy that more than lives up to its title.

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

With Turkington's deft hand, Entertainment methodically deconstructs the world's shallow surfaces.

Aug 25, 2018

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

There's a chic emptiness to "Entertainment," undoubtedly, and anti-comedy constructs that may rub the wrong way, but there's also a spiky intelligence at work too, one that engages through the artifice of disengagement and the illusion of "performance."

Nov 19, 2015

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Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

It is not fun, but its confrontational style yields dividends.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 19, 2015

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Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

Not merely a story about the loneliness of a career on the road, Entertainment is the struggle of a man singularly steadfast in his pursuit of his chosen art.

Aug 1, 2023

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Entertainment is a film that hearty and curious viewers will return to time and again in an attempt to parse its meaning...

Jan 14, 2021

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Elissa Suh

StageBuddy.com

Part Lynchian hallucination, part deadpan comedy, part existential musing, Rick Alverson's unique vision is fully realized, and even ugly, but demands to be watched.

Mar 16, 2020

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nathan d

I'd give this one an astounding 5 bags of popcorn and maybe a vhs copy labeled by the VFA as a tip of the hat to fellow greggheads it's an absolute must see and definitely worthy of an Oscar.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/24

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Dave S

Watching Entertainment is as uncomfortable as watching porn with your grandmother. That's pretty uncomfortable. Gregg Turkington (a.k.a. Neil Hamburger) is a down and out comedian travelling through the California desert, performing his lewd stand-up routine in any dive bar that will book him. Indie director Rick Alverson (who also produced, wrote and edited the movie) clearly has an eye for visuals as he effectively captures the vast expanses of nothingness, a landscape that seems to mirror his protagonist's personality and talent. As far as the content is concerned, there really isn't any scene that fails to make the viewer uncomfortable and, if that was the intent, the movie is wildly successful. Entertainment is a hard film to assign a rating to – most will hate it, some will love it, and both will have valid arguments to support their opinions. Watch for yourself…and good luck.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Frank P

I cd either give it 5 stars or no stars, so as we approach zero, I'll hedge my bets. A cross between "Waiting For Godot" and "The Aristocrats." Do not watch if you have just been told that you have 6 weeks to live.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/24/22

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bryan b

I may be missing something here but watching a crappy comedian play at crappy venues and go on crappy tours in between does not a good movie make. Was that the point? The audience feels good that they are not this guy? Hard pass.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Just confusing bad comedy leaving multiple questions

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

It has a few elements I really liked, but which were ultimately indulgent distractions. The cinematography was interesting. I liked the use of colors and lighting. Neil Hamburger is obviously a big pull. I found it navel gazey and over-labored. I like films that can meander but this time it didn't work for me. The person I watched it with liked it. It's an acquired taste for sure, but I think the filmmakers were trying too hard.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Entertainment: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

An abrasive stand-up comic (Gregg Turkington) hits the road to perform a series of shows at seedy venues.

Director: Rick Alverson
Producer: Ryan Zacarias, Ryan Lough, George Rush, Brooke Bernard, Rick Alverson, Patrick Hibler, Alex Lipschultz
Screenwriter: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Arts & Labor, Autumn Pictures
Rating: R (Crude Sexual Material|Brief Drug Use|A Disturbing Image|Language)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 6, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.5K
Runtime: 1h 42m

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