Punching the Clown

Punching the Clown (2010)

  • 86% of critics liked it
    (14 reviews)

  • 77% of users liked it
    (2,913 ratings)

A modern-day troubadour learns the whimsical rules of the record industry after moving out to Los Angeles and becoming the subject of a vicious rumor. Henry Phillips travels through the heartland singing his satirical folk songs to anyone willing to give him the time of day. In the wake of a booking… More

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Unrated,
Directed By
Genres
Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy
In Theaters
Oct 22, 2010 Limited
On DVD
Jan 18, 2011
Level 33 Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Brody, New Yorker

    The comic folksinger Henry Phillips stars in this wry, poignant, smartly satirical comedy as himself, and puts himself into uneasy situations in which he doesn't always come out as the hero.

  • Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

    Every aspiring performer will appreciate Gregori Viens' unassuming comedy, which cheerfully skewers industry pretensions and media-fueled trends.

  • Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

    Familiar show-business satire is enlivened by genuinely witty, off-kilter humor.

  • Mike Hale, New York Times

    [If it] isn't entirely successful, it's partly because the music -- late-night satire swathed in gentle folkie chords -- and Mr. Phillips's modest but knowing manner don't quite match up with the "Star Is Born" clichés of the plot.

  • Kyle Smith, New York Post

    Punching the Clown is welcome proof that there remains at least one industry in which the US can compete with New Zealand: the parody folk-song business.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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