Rick Alverson's "The Comedy" is part of a recent spate of indie films that might be loosely referred to as the Cinema of Annoyance, movies that often dare audiences to continue to watch as increasingly uncomfortable situations unfold.
Opening on the drunken high jinks of a group of Brooklyn friends, the film focuses on the character of Swanson, who seems a tad too old for his layabout lifestyle. Projecting an obnoxious exterior, Tim Heidecker gives a self-lacerating edge to Swanson's passive-aggressive contrarianism.
Swanson lives on a small boat, harassing cabdrivers and taking a job as a dishwasher in his spare time. His studied insincerity functions as a shield against the emotional impact of his father's looming death and the life-altering reality of the fortune he stands to soon inherit.
Heidecker brings a startling depth to his performance, tapping into a rich pathos that is the unexpectedly serious mirror-inversion of his work as part of the abrasive, oddball comedy duo Tim and Eric. (His comedy partner, Eric Wareheim, has a supporting role, as does LCD Soundsystem leader James Murphy.)
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After a pivotal encounter with a young woman (the haunting Kate Lyn Sheil) Swanson seems somehow renewed, Alverson and Heidecker bringing his pot-bellied pilgrim's progress to a conclusion that is provisionally positive, the character heading at last in a direction akin to maturity and self-understanding.
Review
The Comedy
** 1/2
• Not rated.
• Director: Rick Alverson.
• Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Kate Lyn Sheil, James Murphy.
• Running time: 94 minutes.
Heidecker at Congress
Catch Tim Heidecker at Club Congress on Saturday as part of the Neil Hamburger's show. Hamburger, by the way, also appears in "The Comedy." Clownvis Presley is also on the bill for the 18-and-over Congress show, which starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12. As a part of the Hotel Congress' Whiskey Weekend festivities, it will offer a whiskey sample to anyone who buys an advance ticket for Saturday's show.
