The Clapper (film)
The Clapper is a 2017 American comedy film written and directed by Dito Montiel, based upon Montiel's novel "Eddie Krumble Is the Clapper". It stars Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried, Tracy Morgan, Adam Levine, Mickey Gooch Jr. and Russell Peters. The film marks the final film role of Alan Thicke, who died on December 13, 2016. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2017. It was released on January 26, 2018, by Momentum Pictures. Plot. Eddie Krumble (Ed Helms) is a widowed contract actor who works as an audience member  for infomercials, with his best friend Chris (Tracy Morgan). He also has a budding romance with Judy (Amanda Seyfried), a shy gas station attendant. One day he gets noticed by Stillerman (Russell Peters), a late night talk show host because of his frequent appearances as a recurring audience member. He loses his job due to Stillerman's segments searching for "the Clapper". The "Stillerman Show's" hunt for Eddie also gets Judy fired and she appears to go missing. Initially declining offers to appear on Stillerman's show without payment (there is a rule against paying guests), Eddie caves in , appearing on the show to find Judy. After, Eddie and Chris do several "Searching for Judy" segments on the show, which they are paid for. After a few such segments, Judy phones the network and tells Eddie on-air to stop "stalking" her. Fearing a lawsuit, the show ends these segments and cut ties with Eddie and Chris. Six months later, Eddie and Chris reappear on the show, as does Eddie's mother Ida (Brenda Vaccaro) berating Stillerman's treatment of her son. On air, Eddie admits that he misses his late wife and that he loves Judy, who sees  the segment while she is pumping gas that night. As Eddie mentions on television where he'll be the next day, she finds him and tells him she loves him back. They subsequently marry in the closing credits. Production. In February 2016, it was announced Ed Helms and Amanda Seyfried would star in the film, with Dito Montiel directing the film from a screenplay he wrote, based upon the novel of the same name. Helms, Mike Falbo would serve as producers on the film under their Pacific Electric banner, alongside Robin Schoor. In April 2016, Tracy Morgan joined the cast  of the film, with Alex Lebovici and Michael Bien joining as executive producing and Steve Ponce producers under his Oriah Entertainment banner. In May 2016, Russell Peters joined the cast of the film. In June 2016, Adam Levine, Leah Remini, P.J. Byrne, Mickey Gooch Jr., and Brenda Vaccaro joined the cast of the film. That same month, Mark Cuban, Rob Gronkowski, and Sara Sampaio joined the cast of the film. In July 2016, Wendy Braun joined the cast of the film. Filming. Principal photography began in June 2016. Release. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival  on April 23, 2017. Shortly after, Momentum Pictures and Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released in a limited release and through video on demand on January 26, 2018. It was released through Netflix on May 1, 2018. Critical response. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 23% based on 26 reviews, with a weighted average of 4.3/10. The site's consensus reads: ""The Clapper" is tugged along by the valiant efforts of a talented cast, but it's ultimately not enough to make this wan romantic comedy worth a watch ." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 21 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".