For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Troubled alcoholic clown Shakes (a fearless performance by Bobcat Goldthwait, who also directed and wrote the quirky script) has to sober up long enough to clear his name after he gets framed for a murder that he didn't commit.Goldthwait adroitly crafts a surreal, wacky, and perversely twisted comic tone that precariously blends the grotesque and the hilarious with surprising effectiveness: While the wickedly funny sense of pitch-black humor may not be to everyone's liking, those with a penchant for the weird and warped should find this movie to be a total riot. Moreover, Goldthwait also ably explores the dichotomy of seeming happy on the outside while being completely miserable on the inside.The uniformly ace acting by the game cast keeps this film humming: Julie Brown radiates a sweet perky charm as Shakes's concerned waitress girlfriend Judy, Tom Kenny portrays evil and ruthless rival clown Binky with lip-smacking venomous aplomb, Adam Sandler lends sturdy support as the mild-mannered Dink, Paul Dooley does his usual fine work as long-suffering agent Owen Cheese, Blake Cark excels as gruff transvestite Stenchy, and Kathy Griffin adds some vinegar as the snarky Lucy. Popping up in memorable cameos are Milton Berle as a surly barfly clown, Robin Williams as an obnoxiously hearty mime instructor, and Florence "Mrs. Brady" Henderson as a one night stand. A real loopy hoot.

This is a perfect dark comedy. Plain and simple. It's pretty unknown, but it's a film that needs a viewing.Bobcat puts on one helluva show, he is a unique writer, director, and actor. Learning that this was his first movie he wrote, directed, and starred in made it all the more interesting. Tom Kenny's role still gives me the creeps! I can't picture him as anything else.I highly recommend this movie to all fans of dark humor, or fans of Bobcat. It truly is the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies. It's a 90's movie, so the campy humor will be abundant, but it still holds to this day. Check this movie out, you will not be disappointed, it's easily in my top 10 movies of all time.

I sat down to watch "Shakes the Clown" because Bobcat Goldthwait was in it, and I had no idea that I was in for a movie with this many famous people in it. I had not anticipated that at all.The story is about Shakes, a clown with a love of drinking. He is told to get his act together or his will be fired, when he finds himself framed for a murder.Despite having so many talented names on the cast list, then I was not even remotely entertained by this movie, much less brought to laughs. I really didn't laugh a single time, truth be told.Perhaps I didn't get the symbolism between the alcoholism and the imagery of clowns. But, for me, it just didn't mix well together, much less make for an entertaining movie."Shakes the Clown" wasn't particularly my type of movie, and thus I think the movie is worth a 3 out of 10 stars.

I downloaded this movie years after putting it on my watchlist because I had seen it mentioned in one of those Men's Journal "100 Movies Every Guy Should See" lists. In the end, its presence on a list like that might be appropriate, but don't reshuffle your own watchlist to make room for it.The cast is actually terrific. Bobcat Goldthwait in a forgettable lead role still filled the role nicely, and with such a star-studded supporting crew, the cast is actually the most memorable thing about this movie. Adam Sandler and Blake Clark have major roles throughout, which was no doubt a fertile time for the two to bounce ideas off one another, thus sparking a screen relationship that would help fuel Sandler's meteoric rise through 1990s comedy. Kathy Griffin is the feminist friend of the lead actress, Julie Brown, who later played Ms. Stoeger in Clueless. Even Robin Williams made a cameo appearance as a catty mime instructor, surely offering at least a few laughs with his pre-GWH clown-like demeanor.Unfortunately, this semi-Allstar cast was paired with terrible writers. Sure, there is the occasional line or two that elicit laughs from even the most lifeless of cynics, but the viewer can't help but follow a very contrived script throughout the movie, and only the body language of the actors themselves seems to save the screenplay from itself. Overall, simply by recognizing the significance of the cast, all together as early as 1991, is enough to take from this movie what it has to offer most. I can't recommend making time for it, but if someone brings it over and you're in an agreeable mood, put it in and enjoy a lot of hidden humor (background gags and subtle one-liners) in this alcoholic cult-classic.