The overwhelming sense I got while watching this movie was that I was observing real people and not actors. The ensemble cast really clicks in their actions with one another, and even though Elliott Gould's celebrity intrudes every now and then, even he looked like he belonged with this often times dysfunctional group of characters. The principal dynamic in the story involves Nate Kroll's (Jemaine Clement) relationship with his father (Gould),and how Nate stumbles through the tail end of his four year writer's block and a recently failed marriage. For his part, Bob Kroll relies on a consistent stream of never ending jokes to lighten the burden of his wife's passing, along with a heart condition that turns frighteningly real, eventually leading to a favorable reconciliation with his older son. I found it kind of interesting that the rental locker that Bob used to store his early family mementos was numbered '808', because if you spotted it quickly, it looked like that was spelling out his name in capitals. Just another little quirk among all the other quirks Nate encountered on his little side trip to the Cranberry Bog retirement community. It's not unusual for me to come across a movie I never heard of before, and was kind of shocked to read on this site that the film only grossed around forty grand when it was released. Granted it's not an awards contender by any means, but I do think it deserves a wider audience, especially among IMDb viewers who might nudge it's rating up a notch. Maybe a little word of mouth could move it in the right direction, as Nate Kroll's words would have suggested when he remarked to his departing wife, "Quality work takes time".
Humor Me
2017
Action / Comedy
Humor Me
2017
Action / Comedy
Plot summary
A once-acclaimed New York playwright, NATE (Jemaine Clement),is struggling to finish his new play when his wife (Maria Dizzia) leaves him, taking their son. Desolate, broke and unable to pay the rent, Nate begrudgingly moves in with his widowed father, BOB (Elliott Gould),in his New Jersey retirement golf community. Bob, always quick with a joke, uses humor to deal with all of life's challenges, even the death of his beloved wife. It drives Nate crazy. Thinking his son could benefit from some discipline, Bob sends Nate to work for ELLIS (Willie Carpenter) an older ex-Marine who runs operations at the community. While at work, Nate stumbles on a senior citizen theater troupe staging a musical. Nate agrees to help but quickly realizes it won't be easy to get these quirky women to cooperate. And one of them, DEE (Annie Potts) even invites him to dinner to not-so-subtly set him up with her daughter, ALLISON (Ingrid Michaelson). Things reach a breaking point when a video of Nate's earlier play surfaces, opening old wounds between him and Bob. Ultimately, the father and son realize they each have their own forms of storytelling and come to appreciate their differences.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
"Life's gonna happen whether you smile or not. Might as well try to smile."
Jemaine Clement is always good.
You can't really go wrong with this movie if you like Jemaine Clement. I like everything he's ever been in and after watching Humor Me it remains the same. He lost his kiwi accent for this movie though, don't know why he did that, don't really get it either. If you're from New-Zealand you have an accent and that makes your charm. That said he should just speak like he always does. Humor Me is full of subtle jokes, Jemaine Clement's facial expressions, it all brought a smile on my face for the entire movie, what else could I ask for when watching a comedy? Easy and entertaining story, good acting, a recipe for a good evening of cinema.
Jr. high stuff
Trying to be funny but utterly lacking in style or originality.