A comedy is the one thing Rick Alverson's film "The Comedy" isn't or if it thinks it is then it is a very bleak one with perhaps the most dislikeable 'anti-hero' in recent cinema. In "New Jerusalem" Alverson gave us a couple of men, up close and very personal, that we cared about and could empathise with. In "The Comedy" he gives us a man you would want to cross the road to avoid yet confirms his status as possibly the best 'indie' director to have come out of America in the past decade.
There are few film-makers making movies as psychologically astute as Alverson. This is as raw as cinema gets, made without compromise and an almost complete disregard for his audience. "The Comedy" is brilliant cinema but it is also a very difficult and very unpleasant watch. It's certainly not the kind of film that will him friends though it may indeed influence people, particularly young hipsters who want to stand out from the crowd. This certainly stands out from the crowd but like "New Jerusalem" before it, is virtually unknown. See it certainly but if you actually 'like' it as opposed to just admiring it, I would worry.
There are few film-makers making movies as psychologically astute as Alverson. This is as raw as cinema gets, made without compromise and an almost complete disregard for his audience. "The Comedy" is brilliant cinema but it is also a very difficult and very unpleasant watch. It's certainly not the kind of film that will him friends though it may indeed influence people, particularly young hipsters who want to stand out from the crowd. This certainly stands out from the crowd but like "New Jerusalem" before it, is virtually unknown. See it certainly but if you actually 'like' it as opposed to just admiring it, I would worry.