Funny Bones

Plot synopsis:
Tommy Fawkes is the son of comedy legend George Fawkes. After his own Las Vegas comedy act flops with his beloved father in the audience, Tommy returns to Blackpool, England, where he spent the summers of his childhood.
Disguised with a new identity, Tommy intends to seek out unique performers and purchase their acts. During this time, Tommy encounters his father's old comedy partners, Bruno and Thomas Parker. Once great performers, they now work as ghouls on a ghost train at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Circus.
Bruno's son Jack is a brilliant comic, but psychologically troubled. He has also been manipulated by a corrupt policeman known as Sharkey into stealing valuable wax eggs from smugglers. Tommy meets Jack's mother Katie, and even though Tommy is in disguise, she suspects that he is somehow connected to the family.
Tommy eventually realises that his father stole his original act from the Parker brothers. He then reveals himself to be Tommy Fawkes and Katie tells him that Jack is his half-brother. Tommy phones his father about the revelation and George gets on the next plane to Blackpool.
As part of their reconciliation, George arranges for the Parkers to top the bill at a Blackpool Tower Circus event. However, Jack is still hounded by Sharkey and cannot perform. During an elaborate Egyptian act, Katie gets rid of Sharkey via a sarcophagus, which is then kidnapped by the smugglers. The wax eggs (Chinese inscription on egg is read "Eight Immortals") contained a mystical, ancient Chinese rejuvenating powder. Jack had previously placed the powder within a makeup tin, which Bruno and Thomas accidentally use, helping them to perform brilliantly.
Toward the end of the show, Jack is seen climbing a giant pole chased by a policeman. Jack smacks the policeman in the face with a glass bottle and the policeman begins to fall. When the identity of the policeman is revealed to be Tommy, the slow motion filming prolongs the feeling of dread in seeing Tommy's struggle to not fall.
In the agonising last moments, Jack clasps Tommy's hand and saves him. The circus audience clasps wildly with relief. Jack then says to Tommy, "They're beginning to like you." Jack laughs and Tommy, suddenly no longer afraid, gazes at the audience and finds the feeling he was searching for all his life.

Tags: violence, comedy, flashback

Review:
Not really a comedy - more a surreal, sometimes weirdly comic piece about comedians, about families, about the awfulness of having a famous father, about genius, about the problem of what makes a comic funny, about the sublime sadness of failure.
Leslie Caron is heart-rending as his mother, a brave, faded French beauty stranded for ever singing mildly risque songs in Blackpool pubs, and their tender scenes together are for me the best thing in the whole film.The whole cast is incredible...right down to Oliver Reed camping it up gloriously in a bizarre sub-plot which at first I thought might be part of the Evans' character's fevered imagination.
It is a movie absolutely crammed with magic but in one of my favourite scenes, Oliver Platt arrives in Blackpool and instantly sees it peopled with characters from Donald McGill postcards - fat ladies, saucy girls with flouncy skirts, burly men.
This film works as a dark comedy about talent, those that have it and those that dont and yes, Jerry lewis gives a strong performance (right up there with King Of Comedy)and Lee Evans is a marvel as a talented comedian and Oliver Platt gives one ofhis best performances as an untalented offspring of a legend.
When this movie came out, I gave it a miss because of Jerry Lewis (King of Comedy notwithstanding -- he gives me the creeps, man), but I caught it on Sundance the other night and was bowled over.
Maybe "node," but other than that, "showbiz" is just such a bad word!!!), and then all of a sudden you are in Blackpool, England, being treated to (a) some amazing vaudeville performers from an era sadly gone by, and (b) some amazing performances by clowny guys (not the creepy kind), and (c) Leslie Caron singing a torch song in a man-tailored shirt, and (d) a beautiful story of lost dreams, redemption, and wax eggs.
Lee Evans was also unbelievably riveting in his portrayal as the mentally disturbed young man.This film is very representative of the small town in Britain with it's quiet undisturbed population that seems to be frozen in time, in contrast to Fawkes's father's life in America, which is busy and ever-changing, where the most important thing in life is money, as opposed to memories being just as important back in the small British town.The best part of the film is watching (in small parts) the unravelling of the horrific event that had happened so many years before and turned the young man (played by Lee Evans) into the person he is today.A riveting watch.
Elegantly surreal, Funny Bones is filled with wonderful visuals and a timeless quality.At the center of this story stands Tommy Fawkes, a reluctant young comedian struggling in his famous father's (Jerry Lewis) shadow.
This offered many of us our first glimpse of Lee Evans, a brilliant young UK actor/comedian with an astonishing penchant for physical comedy.
If Fate is kind, we should have the good fortune of seeing a great deal more of him.As for the rest of this stellar cast, Leslie Caron is charming as ever, George Carl and Freddie Davies are pure energy, and Jerry Lewis is, well, Jerry Lewis (there is no higher compliment I can pay him).Essentially, this film is a requisite for anyone who enjoys surreal, dark comedy with a philosophical edge and an often slapstick pace.
It's just an odd mix, but I find it very, very interesting and I've seen it three times, equally fascinated each time.The movie goes back and forth between drama and comedy which makes unsettling for some viewers, but not me.
The comedy is really provided by others, most notably the most tragic figure in the film: "Jack Parker," effectively played by Lee Evans.There is really is no way to adequately explain this strange film in a few paragraphs.
I had seen the standard shots of this film when it came out and thought that the comedy seemed pretty bad - which put me off seeing it in the cinema.However, now that it's been on TV I would like to recommend it to anyone who wants to see a film which has an original story, interesting characters, unusual settings, great acting, great photography....
This is a story of a broken family and hidden secrets - Tommy Fawkes goes to Blackpool, once one of the world's showbiz capitals, to learn how to be funny; once there he finds a duo (played by veteran British comics Freddie Davies and George Carl) who he thinks have stolen his famous dad's act - but are things really as they seem?
Jack Parker is a Blackpool born lad with the innate ability to be creatively humorous (Lee Evans is excellent in this role) while lacking in the social skills to survive in the real world.Against this backdrop is something about mysterious eggs which hold some mystical secret or other (giving Oliver Reed yet another strange role as the oddball Dolly).
The really interesting aspects of the story are the skeletons in the closet that bring Jack's mother (Leslie Caron) and Tommy's father (Jerry Lewis) together again.
The strongest scenes though are the ones which truly shock - the flashback outlining the tragedy that has affected Jack's life, and the final few sequences in the show arena.'Funny Bones' may be hard to fathom but I think it repays attention by giving its audience something a bit unexpected - plus some great performances along the way..
He plays a failed comic son of a famous comic father (Jerry Lewis) exploring the roots of comedy--his own personal family roots, the roots in his home town's vaudeville, and ultimately its roots in the human psyche.
The people that Tommy meets there are strangely fascinating, and Lee Evans delivers a particularly interesting performance as Jack Parker, the high energy comedian who is on the run from the law and is also George Fawkes' bastard son.
His one full length comedy act is absolutely amazing to watch.As Tommy is holding auditions trying to find something funny to include in his own act back in the States, he learns more and more about the people living in Blackpool and about their history as well as some dishonorable actions of his own father, and he learns an important lesson from it all.
He ultimately finds his place in the world of live acting, and the transformation from who he was at the beginning of the film to who he is at the end is incredible.Funny Bones is an excellent but very different comedy that is ultimately very rewarding and satisfying.
In the second half of the movie, Leslie Caron and especially Lee Evans as the puzzling Jack Parker, steal the show with some fine performances.
This film chronicles the odyssey of an unhappy man, Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt), son of world famous comic George Fawkes (Jerry Lewis).
No wonder audiences were baffled.The fact that it is a drama and was marketed as a comedy was a major mistake, but understandable given that Hollywood Pictures didn't know what to do with this.At the same time, it is a curiosity that does not deserve to be totally forgotten, particularly because of the strong acting.
Despite the film being titled "Funny Bones" and having Jerry Lewis in the cast, this really isn't a comedy.
I think you should be prepared for the type of film you are about to see."Funny Bones" begins with some sort of deal going bad on the water off of Blackpool, England.
Funny Bones is a quite remarkable film, it manages to blend the unlikely pairing of slap-stick comedy and beautiful cinematography.
Spectacular physical comedy, great script, wonderful acting (even by Jerry Lewis, who plays a straight role--an aging himself).
Tommy Fawkes is a privileged son living an extremely comfortable life yet is not inherently funny despite all the money and effort thrown into his act; his step brother (Lee Evans) has a life of almost unbearable tragedy and yet exudes comedy from every pore - he has Funny Bones.This film is beautifully set, acted and conceived.
Everything from the astonishing ensemble performances, the exceptional script, the sublime choice of music through to the totally bizarre (and yet perfect) choice of cinematic angles all help portray the tragedy and comedy in their natural state; as two sides of one whole.Brilliant film..
A friend who watched it with me one time over here (here being the UK) from California asked me at the end "what the hell was that all about?"However those after something different with masterful performances by fine actors creating a sometimes bizarre and yes, sometimes very funny story, that gels together seamlessly to produce an immense feeling of having watched something quite magical, will be in for a treat such as comes around far to seldom in the movie World.Featuring a great mix of music, it's also visually a screenplay par excellence'.
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.
Oliver Platt is at his best, Jerry Lewis is himself (!) and Lee Evans is nothing less than sublime.
When his comedy act bombs, he sneaks off to Blackpool, England, to hook up with some old acquaintances and possibly assemble a better act.Despite the presence of Jerry Lewis*, this isn't any kind of silly movie at all.
It's too bad that Peter Chelsom went on to direct "Town & Country" and "Hannah Montana: The Movie".Also starring Lee Evans (Tucker in "There's Something About Mary"), Leslie Caron, Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter movies), Oliver Reed and Ian McNeice.*Other serious movies in which Jerry Lewis starred are "The King of Comedy" by Martin Scorsese and "Arizona Dream" by Emir Kusturica..
Not having seen this film, or even remembering if it ever played locally, it was with amazement we stumbled into this brilliant comedy directed by Peter Chelsom.
The screen play is by Mr. Chelsom and Peter Fannery.The opening scenes are disorienting because we aren't prepared for what will follow in any way, but in retrospect, it makes sense because it ties in with the story in ways that a casual viewer might overlook.The biggest thing going for this film is the wonderful Lee Evans who gives a performance bigger than life and ends up stealing the film and making it his own.
Oliver Platt, as Tommy, wins our sympathy because he bombs as a comedian in front of a Las Vegas audience.The real stars of the film are George Carl and Freddie Davies, genuine comedians, doing what they do best.
It has its standard plot, Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) isn't funny, despite having a famously funny father (Jerry Lewis).
Chelsem then weaves incredible magic through and around the plot with the secretive and brilliant Jack (Lee Evans) who gave up living his life to save his life; his aged uncles, The Parker Brothers (George Carl and Freddie Davies), brilliant vaudevillians in their time; and his mother Katie Parker (Leslie Caron) who links the three to reality.
Many people will assume that a film called Funny Bones staring Jerry Lewis will be a comedy but it is not.
Funny Bones shows a brilliant portrayal of comedy in the seaside resort of Blackpool.
The cast list for this film is as intriguing as the movie itself uniting the U.S. with the U.K, music hall with stand up and the audience with some of the funniest people in the history of comedy.
The film follows failed American comedian Oliver Platt searching for inspiration in Blackpool, England and his relationship with his father, Jerry Lewis, whose career began there as a child.
This very dark movie features a host of exceptional performances, most notably Lee Evans, but George Carl and Freddie Davies steal it for me.For anyone with knowledge of this world, it is both comfortable and discomfiting, and gives a very acute feel of the business behind the show, with the obvious codicil that the demands of drama for a popular audience require more of an emphasis on the extreme elements of any story to hold the interest.
That said, there is pathos, no bathos, wit in abundance in the informed and sensitive writing, a close-up style of cinematography which draws you in to the performances, an exceptional understanding of the material from the cast who were clearly picked with that in mind (Evans father is Dave Evans, a stand-up club comic who played the circuit, as Lee himself did), Carl and Davies, and finally, of course, Jerry Lewis in another fine serious role, if reminiscent of his performance in the King of Comedy.Now...Oliver Platt.
Lee Evans is FABULOUS in this film and Oliver Platt also gives a great performance but Jerry Lewis is AWESOME!
Oliver Platt plays the unfunny son (Tommy) of an enormously successful comedian played by Jerry Lewis (George).
Oddly, or aptly, Jerry Lewis plays one of the most serious characters in the film because he has to confront and admit the source of his own comedy.
Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) wants to be a successful comedian like his father George (Jerry Lewis) but he fails in his Las Vegas debut so he goes to Blackpool, UK where he spent his childhood summers.His job is to seek out unique performers in comedy.There he meets Katie Parker (Leslie Caron), the Parker brothers Thomas (George Carl) and Bruno (Freddie Davies) and his step brother Jack Parker (Lee Evans).Thomas and Bruno are old Vaudevilleans who are now scaring people at the funhouse.Thomas hasn't said a word in twelve years.Jack is the most tragic character.He's also a talented comedian, but he has a quasi-autism and he once killed a man on stage.Peter Chelsom's Funny Bones (1995) is a movie with great actors and a brilliant story.Oliver Platt is terrific as Tommy Fawkes, the comedian wanting to get out of his father's shadow.The king of comedy Jerry Lewis does another great performance as George Fawkes.
He's a man who can do both comedic rolesand serious roles, and in this one he gets to do them both.Lee Evans in the role of Jack Parker is something else.He has the funny bones, as he proves with his one-man radio-riffing.But yet he's the most tragical character of the movie, bringing the whole laughter and tears aspect.George Carl and Freddie Davies are brilliant as Thomas and Bruno Parker.Leslie Caron is wonderful as Katie Parker.And so is Ruta Lee as Laura Fawkes.Richard Griffiths is marvelous as Jim Minty.Oliver Reed is great as Dolly Hopkins.Ian McNeice is very good as Stanley Sharkey.Sadie Corre is fantastic as Poodle Woman.Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas brothers is seen there portraying himself.This movie works as a dramatic feature, just like it works as a comedy.It's most enjoyable to watch Jerry Lewis doing his stand-up routine, with the funny facial expressions and the verbal stuff.I also enjoyed very much the deadpan comedy done by Carl and Davies.When they are scaring people of the ghost train, or doing their wild clown act with the food serving and all.And it offers some offbeat comedy at the morgue, when Jack is with the dead body, and Tommy faints.This is a somewhat eccentric ride to the world of comedy..
It's a strange movie with very interesting and unusual characters, not the least interesting of which was that of Jack Parker, played masterfully by Lee Evans.
The role lee played in this movie illustrates what a brilliant and underrated performer/comedian he is.
Oliver Platt as failed comic Tommy Fawkes looking for the special something that will make him funny looks unnervingly like Orson Welles in some scenes.
My one quibble with 'Funny Bones' is that throughout the film we're told how great the Parkers were, yet when they are finally on stage all we get are snippets of what looks like a terrific slapstick routine.Finally there's Lee Evans whose energy (cliche coming up) threatens to burst right off the screen.
"Funny Bones" is that rare movie that immerses the viewer completely in the lives of its protaganists whose convincing and compelling reality at times seems to offer a glimpse of universal truths.(1 or 2 spoilers follow)The ostensible main character is Tommy Fawkes, a young and very troubled comedian who has lived his whole life in the shadow of his famous comedic father, played by Jerry Lewis.
Jack's father and uncle are two of the saddest and deeply moving characters of any film,the actors playing them rendering brilliant performances.
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.
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.
I actually didn't think Lee Evans would even act in a movie like this before since he always does stand-up a lot!
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.
Oliver Pratt is Tommy Lewis in this tale of a child of a successful comedian, who after bombing in Vegas jets off to Blackpool, England to find the funny.