The Comedian
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: February 3, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
21
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonFeb 2, 2017
Much like its Oscar-winning star, the film coasts along on charm and audience goodwill, although a little more edge might have helped. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberNov 12, 2016
The acting in the film is outstanding down to some of the smallest parts, and here director Taylor Hackford (who hasn’t had a major hit in several years) deserves considerable credit for guiding these performers. Read full review
60
The GuardianLanre BakareNov 12, 2016
The storyline does get frayed towards the end...but that’s not really the point; as long as you’re here for the dick jokes. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerFeb 3, 2017
If nothing else, I hope that The Comedian signals an attempt by De Niro to once again take acting seriously. Without much supporting evidence, he’s still routinely called our greatest living actor. There’s still time to make good on that. Read full review
58
ConsequenceMichael RoffmanFeb 2, 2017
What really hurts the film is its messy screenplay and boilerplate direction. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyFeb 3, 2017
The movie never builds enough momentum, emotional or narrative, to get the viewer on its side. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredJoseph HernandezFeb 2, 2017
It’s way too long and ends up feeling like a chore to get through. Furthermore, the raunchy shock-value humor leaves your memory as soon as it enters, actors go grossly under-utilized and the title character fails to live up to his name. Quite frankly, he’s just a bummer to be around. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghFeb 2, 2017
The laughs don’t add up. There’s no dramatic arc. Jackie doesn’t grow or learn from his downfall, so much as bumble his way out of it to an unsatisfying conclusion. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniFeb 2, 2017
A mildly charming, if singularly unoriginal, comedy. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisFeb 1, 2017
While occasionally engaging, The Comedian isn’t very funny. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 31, 2017
This “Comedian” is — like many a desperate stand-up — content to go for the dirty/easy laugh, the kind you see coming a mile off, the kind you feel coarse for rewarding with a snicker, the kind you can hear in any high school locker room. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversDec 1, 2016
It plays like an opportunity missed. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangDec 1, 2016
De Niro’s scenes with Mann glow with warmth and wit, but something in his performance clenches up whenever Jackie gets behind a microphone and starts railing about masturbation, incontinence and other below-the-waist targets. Read full review
50
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodNov 14, 2016
There is a sense of exhaustive familiarity that permeates throughout Taylor Hackford’s new dramedy The Comedian. Read full review
50
VarietyGeoff BerkshireNov 12, 2016
Even with a bona fide icon at its center, The Comedian doesn’t dig deep enough to add anything substantial to the subgenre. Read full review
50
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeNov 12, 2016
You’ll come away from this film remembering some of the better moments, and a few of the quieter interactions between the characters, but they’ll be mostly overpowered by the stench of everything else. Read full review
42
MTV NewsAmy NicholsonFeb 2, 2017
It’s hard to spend time with Jackie, and Hackford doesn’t make a convincing case as to why we should. Instead, the script attempts to justify his bitterness by lowering the rest of the world to his level. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerFeb 1, 2017
The uncomfortable yet not unwelcome spectacle of De Niro attempting zingers makes this movie an essential subject for future study of the actor’s comic side. Unfortunately, it is essential in no other way. Read full review
42
The Film StageDaniel SchindelNov 13, 2016
The Comedian might have been salvageable if the namesake character were, you know, funny. But not only is this not the case, the film makes Jackie’s stage presence even more grating by insisting with every frame that he’s brilliant. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaFeb 6, 2017
The Comedian falls into the same trap as most films that hinge on an amazing song or an incredible painting — Jackie’s act doesn’t quite live up to its riotous reception. Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 2, 2017
The director, Taylor Hackford, never makes any of this pop, which isn’t a surprise given the material. Read full review
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