Lack of good storyline.

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The reviews so far give it away. I have read most of them and virtually all are positive.This is a film with many hidden messages and themes. I will leave the viewer to discover these at his leisure. Suffice it to say that the overall theme is a sort of dark comedy with unexpected and unconventional twists and turns, and tremendous performances by the actors. Oliver Platt is at his best, Jerry Lewis is himself (!) and Lee Evans is nothing less than sublime. And the rest of the cast do pretty well, too.This film leaves a lasting impression, and should not be missed by serious movie-lovers.

After reading most of the comments on this film, I feel relieved. When I saw it the first time in cinema, I really liked it, so I persuaded some friends o see it too. They were disappointed. All others I talked to about this film were not liking it too. I thought I may be the only one to find it a brilliant, deep movie but here I find more of my kind.What makes the movie so outstanding in my opinion, is the fact that it is none of Hollywood's favourite genres...in fact it can't even be categorized to one genre or two. Adding to it there is no small criticism about today's comedy and entertainment culture and how our modern society treats people not fitting in so well.All this is wrapped in a more than bizarre story about some mystic elixir hidden in wax eggs,french mariners, American comedians, family secrets, a long lost glamorous time of vaudevillian entertainment and two guys on the search of their role in life.One is Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) the rising star of stand up comedy, son of a comedy great. Overcome with self doubt and after getting his spotlight stolen by his father, he begins looking for the heart of comedy in Blackpool, England. Many may not know this, but Blackpool, like Brighton, was once the center of cabaret and varieté culture in England. Platt delivers a great performance (I should say as often, because that he does) as the self-doubting comedian, who thinks he cannot be funny anymore.But what he lacks in comedian talent, he has in social talent. He is a natural leader and charismatic person.Then there is Jack, a guy who is born to a family of entertainers, too. He is a natural comedian, in such an extreme that he cannot interact with society on a normal level. He has somewhat of a dark past, but that gets apparent during the movie. Jack is played by Lee Evans, and this boy is FABULOUS! Look at his Radioman performance and tell me you did not laugh...i call you a liar.Both actors are surrounded by a more than strong supporting cast including Jerry Lewis, Leslie Caron and Oliver Reed.Together with its almost hauntingly sublime and beautiful cinematography this film becomes a very clever and deep movie about character development.My advice: Rent it, see it and make your own opinion. You may be disappointed, since this is not a movie for everyone. But if you like it, you will appreciate it the more.

I've never seen a better ending -- three or four tragic situations turned inside-out in less than a second. It makes me gasp every time I see it.And Oliver Platt, one of the best actors working today. *And* the astonishing Lee Evans.If you're expecting a standard ha-ha comedy, this isn't the right choice. But if you want depth of character and dark personal histories folded into your genuine laughs, please check it out.I try to tell everyone I know about this movie, a tragedian's comedy. Don't miss it.

I can hardly remember the meaning of the story, apart from the fact that Oliver Platt as Tommy Fawkes wanted to make a comedy show. I think we only wanted to see it for the quite funny performance by Lee Evans as Jack Parker. He is quite a jittery character at first and gets involved in chases, but he soon shows his excellent physical comedy to us and Platt. I can't really say that I enjoyed all of it, but the moments with Evans are the most memorable. Also starring Richard Griffiths as Jim Minty and Oliver Reed as Dolly Hopkins. What I remember of this film is okay, but the rest I think is not too interesting. Adequate, in my opinion!