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Punchline

Play trailer Poster for Punchline R Released Sep 7, 1988 2h 3m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Lilah Krytsick (Sally Field) is a mother and housewife who's always believed she could be a stand-up comedian. Steven Gold (Tom Hanks) is an experienced stand-up seemingly on the cusp of success. When the two meet, they form an unlikely friendship, and Steven tries to help the untried Lilah develop her stage act. Despite the objections of her family and some very wobbly beginnings, Lilah improves, and soon she finds herself competing with Steven for a coveted television spot.
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Punchline

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The problem may be that the movie isn't nearly tough enough. It needs to be more hard-boiled, more merciless in its dissection of egos, more perceptive about the cutthroat nature of show business. Rated: 2/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...appealing subject matter that’s employed to initially promising yet ultimately underwhelming effect... Rated: 2/4 Oct 19, 2024 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Tom Hanks gets a job so brilliant, so ambivalent, that it's hard to know whether to laugh, cry, or watch him dance beneath the rain. [Full review in Spanish] Jun 15, 2022 Full Review Emily Sears Birth.Movies.Death. As someone who prefers her comedy with a side of melancholy, I'd say that the performance from Tom Hanks alone makes this a worthwhile watch. Sep 26, 2017 Full Review Cathy Burke United Press International Though Punchline defies the Hollywood penchant for producing either pure comedy or straight drama, its view of those with the guts to stand before an audience and dare them to laugh is oddly uplifting. Aug 23, 2016 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Unfunny, at times morose, comedy-drama about standup comics. Rated: 3/5 Mar 23, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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M B I like this movie- Sally Field and Tom Hanks have really good chemistry, and maybe that's a bit of a surprise. It's funny, but the stand-up isn't funny- so it's a very odd movie. The movie is scored with very awful, down-clown music that pretty much ruins everything. I truly think the whole movie would have done better without the music score. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/30/24 Full Review Chinu D It’s a really good movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review Adiya A There is one thing about this movie that cannot be missed. I can see that it worked really well on the small details. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review Bulgantamir B The director is a good person with experience Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review Geke g The very first step of tom hanks’s legendary career Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/30/24 Full Review Munkhchimeg T Terrific. Cast is the best 👍 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/30/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Punchline

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Punchline

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lilah Krytsick (Sally Field) is a mother and housewife who's always believed she could be a stand-up comedian. Steven Gold (Tom Hanks) is an experienced stand-up seemingly on the cusp of success. When the two meet, they form an unlikely friendship, and Steven tries to help the untried Lilah develop her stage act. Despite the objections of her family and some very wobbly beginnings, Lilah improves, and soon she finds herself competing with Steven for a coveted television spot.
Director
David Seltzer
Producer
Daniel Melnick, Michael I. Rachmil
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Fogwood Films, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 7, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$20.3M
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Surround
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