Punching the Clown

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Punching the Clown

2009

1h 31m

Comedy

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87%

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15 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Henry places his music and reputation on the line by playing gigs in L.A.

Richard Brody

The New Yorker

The comic folksinger Henry Phillips stars in this wry, poignant, smartly satirical comedy as himself, and puts himself into uneasy situations in which he doesn't always come out as the hero.

Nov 8, 2010

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Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

Every aspiring performer will appreciate Gregori Viens' unassuming comedy, which cheerfully skewers industry pretensions and media-fueled trends.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 8, 2010

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Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

Familiar show-business satire is enlivened by genuinely witty, off-kilter humor.

Oct 30, 2010

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Frank Lovece

Film Journal International

A quiet jewel of smart, unexpected laughs...as old vaudevillians would say, "It's funny because it's true."

Oct 25, 2010

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Michelle Orange

Movieline

The result is a shaggy rise-and-fall story that is deceptively well-wrought, playing at times like an extremely hip, deep-access concert film.

Oct 22, 2010

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Robert Levin

amNewYork

The film is an amiable, self-mocking satire about L.A.'s vacuous showbiz types.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 21, 2010

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Audience Member

Some great moments, but the script seems to be missing Acts 2 and 3.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

A painfully transparent vehicle to showcase Henry Phillips's comedy songs. Guess what? They are NOT funny. They're basically the musings of an entitled manchild, rendered "cute" by a folksy tune. The entire film is built around getting us to forget how terrible the actual "comedy" is. The "stay-true-to-your-art" plot is hollow -- a self-righteous justification for Henry's own obscurity.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

I feel like Henry Phillips of this film is not far from the real life Henry Phillips. I love the understated humor elements which mostly covers the far-fetched, generic plot and uneven pacing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

This is a good film for anyone aspiring to be successfully in Hollywood. every part of this film worked for me except i didin't find this comedy song maker's songs very funny. This wouldn't be such a bad thing but the premis of the movie is he cant get a break while there are crappyer guys out there who get all the success. Full of funny LA situations, there a little "curb your enthusiasm" in this. You do feel pretty invested in a guy i had never heard of and who is playing himself.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Audience Member

A good comedy with witty lyrics and a ferocious criticism of the superficiality in L.A.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

I didn't think this was funny and his songs are annoying. :/

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Gregori Viens

Director

Guilford Adams

Fabian

Evan Arnold

Don Chase

Robert Babish

Owen

Robert Balderson

Jack

Rick Batalla

Lucas Cascos

Critics Consensus: Paranormal Activity 2 Is A Solid, Scary Follow-up

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Synopsis

Henry places his music and reputation on the line by playing gigs in L.A.

Director: Gregori Viens
Producer: Henry Phillips, Corey Wish
Screenwriter: Henry Phillips, Gregori Viens
Production Co: Viens Films
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2017
Runtime: 1h 31m

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