Film

The Comedian

Name: The Comedian
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2016
Cast: Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Edie Falco, Harvey Keitel

Other titles called The Comedian: the 1957 film.

Comedy

Robert De Niro plays a aging stand-up comic stuck performing to nostalgia, famous only for a sitcom role he resents. A comedy about obsolescence, reinvention, and the relentless grind of entertainment. It's warm but unflinching about fame's cruelty and what happens when your best work is behind you. For anyone who's ever felt trapped by their own past.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy watching a prickly, past-his-prime performer squirm against his own vanity, and you like comedy that finds its laughs in bitterness and hard-earned tenderness rather than in gags.

Skip it if you want a brisk, feel-good comedy, since the mood stays sour and the middle drags over its two hours.

What it asks of you: Two hours of slow, sour scenes that linger on awkward silences and unlikable people, with the warmth arriving late and in small doses.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Hacks2021

A sharp, funny, and genuinely moving show about an aging Las Vegas comic and her relationship with a younger writer. It captures the same territory—fame, obsolescence, reinvention—but with more warmth and sophistication than most comedies manage.

But Six seasons is a commitment, and the first few episodes take a while to find their rhythm before becoming essential viewing.

Krisha2016

Ari Aster's debut, a devastating portrait of addiction and family collapse. Like The Comedian, it's about someone trying to rebuild while dragging everyone around them down. Brutal and honest without a trace of sentiment.

But Shot almost entirely with non-actors, and the emotional weight is so heavy it can feel airless. Not cathartic in the traditional sense.

The King of Comedy1982

Scorsese and De Niro exploring obsession, fame, and the bitter underside of entertainment. It's the dark mirror to The Comedian—what happens when desperation turns into delusion. Razor-sharp and deeply uncomfortable.

But It's relentlessly grim and offers almost no comfort. The protagonist is impossible to root for, even when you understand him.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Comedian

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Funny People2009

Both films believe that comedy is a serious business, and that comedians are often broken people using jokes to survive. Both take that seriously instead of making it cute.

Judd Apatow's three-hour film about comedians, mortality, and the gap between your stage self and your real self. It's messy and uneven, but it's the only recent American film that treats stand-up comedy as genuinely meaningful—as a way some people actually live.

But Three hours, and it meanders badly in the second half. The tonal shifts between broad comedy and real sadness will lose some viewers entirely.

Carnage2011

Roman Polanski's vicious comedy about civility breaking down. If you liked The Comedian's willingness to let characters be selfish and difficult, this takes that further with four people in one room.

But It's a chamber piece that can feel airless, and the humor is mean-spirited in ways that won't land for everyone.

The Comedians2015

British series starring Katherine Parkinson as a woman trying to make it in stand-up. Thoughtful about the genuine grind and rejection that comes with trying to be funny for a living.

But It's quieter and less flashy than you might expect. The humor doesn't land as often as you'd hope.

Paterson2016

Jim Jarmusch's gentle film about a bus driver who writes poetry in secret. Like The Comedian, it's about creative life and what happens when your art doesn't pay. Unexpectedly moving.

But Nearly nothing happens. If you need plot momentum or obvious emotional beats, this will feel like watching paint dry.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone2013

Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo in a comedy about aging magicians trying to stay relevant. Similar themes about obsolescence and reinvention, played for laughs instead of tears.

But It tries too hard to be crowd-pleasing and never quite commits to either the comedy or the character work.

Ikiru1952

Both are about aging men who've wasted years in roles that trapped them, suddenly desperate to prove they were more than what the world made them.

Kurosawa's masterpiece about an aging bureaucrat discovering meaning in his final months. The emotional structure mirrors The Comedian—a life spent on obligation suddenly confronted by its own emptiness, searching for something that matters.

But It's a black-and-white Japanese film from 1952. If you're expecting anything like contemporary cinema, you'll struggle. And it's deeply sad.