The Comedy
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Metascore
46 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

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  • Starring: James Murphy, Tim Heidecker
  • Summary: On the cusp of inheriting his father's estate, Swanson is a man with unlimited options. An aging hipster in Brooklyn, he spends his days in aimless recreation with like-minded friends in games of comic irreverence and mock sincerity. As Swanson grows restless of the safety a sheltered life offers him, he tests the limits of acceptable behavior, pushing the envelope in every way he can. Heidecker’s deadpan delivery cleverly masks a deep desire for connection and sense in the modern world. (Tribeca Film)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 15
  3. Negative: 4 out of 15
  1. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Christopher Bell
    Nov 8, 2012
    91
    It's a meaty film, filled with ideas unobscured by any generic narrative string, a move that shows not only the confidence of the director but his respect of the audience. This is one that'll have people talking.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Justin Chang
    Nov 4, 2012
    70
    For a catalog of aggressively stupid, socially deviant male behavior, Rick Alverson's cheekily titled The Comedy is not without a certain subversive intelligence.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    Nov 14, 2012
    50
    The Comedy pretends to be a satire of entitlement, but it's made in a style so indulgent that the whole film feels entitled in the extreme.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    Nov 26, 2012
    25
    If it weren't for Kate Lyn Sheil, who has a couple of scenes as a blase Brooklyn waitress inexplicably ending up in the protagonist's bed, 'The Comedy' might well have qualified as the worst film of 2012.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. Evolutionary
    10
    The Comedy, alongside The Master, was far and away the best film of last year. The low critic reviews are a little suprising, but not so much when we consider Kaufman's tragically low rating of 67 for Synechdoche New York. Sometimes they get it wrong. Firstly, Heidecker's turn as the lead in a serious film was criminally passed over. Naturalistic, realistic acting appears to be becoming a thing of the past in mainstream film, so his portrayal in this is refreshing. The movie is not a comedy, but it is very funny in parts, thanks mainly to Tim's cruel deadpan and his chemistry with Eric Wareheim. It's a character study, and one that finally targets the apathy and emotional distance of aging 30 year olds who aren't willing or able to let go of their youth or play the 'game.' Looking forward to seeing another film from the director, who has the potential of being a darker harsher Noah Baumbach.… Expand
  2. certified_hater
    9
    Suffice to say,
  3. olof
    3
    I can't understand people saying it's the second best film of last year. It's a quite boring tale about an old hipster in Brooklyn. Often having abusive monologues to strangers, who in some strange way just numbly stare at him. Then he meets his friends and they do some ordinary thing like playing baseball, of course with a cool song playing as a soundtrack.

    All in all pretty boring.    … Expand

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