Huge review

The cardinal sin in any film about stand-up comedy is to be unfunny.

In his directorial debut, Ben Miller tries to sidestep this by making his film about two unfunny stand-up comedians, played in this instance by actors (Noel Clarke and Johnny Harris) with no prior experience of being funny.

The result, alas, is to make an unfunny film even unfunnier, not least during a scene featuring silent cameos from all of Miller’s comedy chums.

In a thoroughly disheartening affair that looks like it was shot through gauze, Thandie Newton provides a brief spark of life, as a coke-snorting agent.