Dark, dark, dark comedy

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2014)

On a scale of full-sun to trapped-inside-a-coffin-smothered-in-burnt-toast, this is as dark as comedy gets. Kind of a modern-day retelling of Chekhov's "The Seagull," with Michael Keaton's character standing in for most of the major roles in Chekhov's story. That's a lot of crazy for one guy to absorb.
Who would dig it? Anyone who's ever worked in the theatre, people who can't abide NYC cultural snobbery, people who find Hollywood types annoying, people struggling with or recovering from co-dependent relationships, Orson Welles fans, whom am I leaving out?
Who probably *shouldn't* see it? Suicidal or reality-challenged people. There's just a little too much romance with self-slaughter. The film makes its comedy bones on really bleak and sometimes cringe-worthy situations. There are only four flat-out sight gags that I counted, and even those aren't cheap laughs.
I gave it a 9, only because I don't think there was enough of Lindsay Duncan's character's arc to power her conflict with Michael Keaton's character. Duncan was terrific, as usual, even with such a limited amount of screen time.