Hardly Working

PG

1981

1h 31m

Comedy

List

9%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

24%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

An out-of-work clown (Jerry Lewis) spills drinks and knocks things over when he tries regular 9-to-5 jobs.

Read More

Read Less

Richard Brody

New Yorker

The movie's desperately amiable tone plays like a chastised boy's terrified plea for love; the oblivious cruelty that emerges nonetheless (as in Lewis's embarrassing parody of a Japanese chef) makes it all the sadder.

May 19, 2014

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

I was absolutely stunned by the vast stupidity of this film.

Rated: 0/4

Oct 17, 2007

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

The result is utter confusion.

Aug 30, 2004

Full Review

Leonard Klady

Winnipeg Free Press

The picture looks as if it had been made a decade ago and kept in cold storage. Despite some fine moments, it suffers from a lack of originality.

Jun 16, 2022

Full Review

David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

It's a bumpy movie, no more graceful than its buffoonish main character. Worse, the star tries to have it two ways, alternating between manic physical comedy and softspoken self-pity. The result if often awkward, and sometimes downright weird.

May 20, 2014

Full Review

People Staff

People Magazine

To adults this poky movie may seem a bit sad. Lewis' once-manic energy is barely suggested in a few labored outbursts, and his lovable bewilderment is now more like bitterness.

May 20, 2014

Full Review

Read all reviews

CRAIG M

Just bad - a comic without a straight man, everything fell flat

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Jerry Lewis first film after a ten year hiatus is called Hardly Working. It tells the story of an unemployed clown who goes from job to job creating awkward situations wherever he goes. Hardly Working was a moronic and pathetic film filled with obvious product placement, lazy editing, racist costume design, and painfully unfunny gags. To be honest, Jerry Lewis' unfinished and unreleased film The Day the Clown Cried could be a better film than Hardly Working because the film is hardly competent.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I watched this film in 1981 in a packed house at the Mayfair theatre in Gutenberg , NJ. The audience laughed and laughed . Jerry is excellent . The story is fun. But like so many slapstick oriented films, there are numerous opportunities blown . The beautiful deanna Lund (Tony Rome , land of the Giants) never shows a kneecap.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

mike m

I saw this movie on HBO in the 80's and never forgot it. How bad could it be if I still remember it. It had some funny moments.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Later works of Jerry Lewis, not the best but not the worst.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Again, if you like Lewis and slapstick then this one is worth a see. Otherwise, stay away.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Jerry Lewis

Director

Jerry Lewis

Bo Hooper

Susan Oliver

Claire Trent

Roger C. Carmel

Robert Trent

Deanna Lund

Millie

Harold J. Stone

Frank Loucazi

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

50%

49%

Author! Author!

33%

45%

Unfaithfully Yours

18%

38%

Bushwhacked

3%

53%

The Toy

97%

84%

My Favorite Year

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

An out-of-work clown (Jerry Lewis) spills drinks and knocks things over when he tries regular 9-to-5 jobs.

Director: Jerry Lewis
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 31m