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The Comedian review

Debut feature from Israeli-born Tom Shkolnik

Reviews
By Neil Smith published 26 May 2013

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It's an ironic rule of thumb that movies about stand-ups tend to be downbeat.

But this debut feature from israeli-born Tom Shkolnik at least has an excuse, revolving as it does around a London comic (Edward Hogg) who is no better at telling jokes than he is at his cold-calling day-job.

A new boyf (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) offers him respite from his funk… yet nothing is simple in a film that artfully mirrors the ebb and flow of big-city life through dialogues sculpted from hours of unscripted improvs.

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Result? Mike Leigh in miniature, without the caricature.

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Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic and writer who contributes regularly to Heat, SFX and Screen International. He's a long-time member of the London Film Critics’ Circle and was a contributing editor at Total Film for many years.

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