Punching the Clown
Feb 22, 2011
(Gregori Viens, USA, 2009, DVD, 91 min)
Henry Phillips, a modern day American troubadour, is living out of his car on a perpetual tour of small time comedy and music gigs around the country. After a bad show and the realization he isn't making any money, he decides to crash at his brother’s house in L.A. His brother, a struggling actor, hooks Henry up with his agent, who lands him a few gigs. Then Henry meets Becca, an attractive barista at the local coffee shop. Soon after Henry lands a deal with X-Company Record, an indie record label, and it looks like everything might work out. When a flurry of events leave him without his brother, the girl he’s after, and his music, Henry soon learns that some dreams aren’t made for reality.
Combining scripted fiction with actual live performances by Philips, Gregori Viens' unique hybrid has captured half-a-dozen awards on the festival circuit, most notable the Audience Award at Slamdance, its not hard to see why; Viens and Philips are one helluva funny duo and Punching the Clown is a wonderful example of American independent filmmaking.
"The best movie about comedy I've seen"—Sarah Silverman
"Punching the Clown is honestly the funniest movie I've seen in years. The songs are disconcertingly funny..."—Moby
Watch the trailer:
