I Used To Be Funny movie review

MOVIE TITLE: I Used To Be Funny

This dark comedy/drama is now playing in theaters, as well as on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 45 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about Sam, a stand-up comedian who struggles with PTSD and whether or not she should join the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.

The Canadian indie film was directed by Ally Pankiw, who also wrote it. This is her directorial debut. Already, the movie has been nominated for awards from several film festivals. Kudos to Ally Pankiw!

THINGS I LIKED:

I have never seen Rachel Sennott perform before, but I thought she was terrific in this.
The entire cast did a fantastic job, and their characters truly felt like real people. The talent includes Olga Petsa, Jason Jones, Sabrina Jalees, Caleb Hearon, and more.
The film does a great job blending drama and trauma with comedy. That’s tricky to do!
There’s a quick reference to the movie Gravity with Sandra Bullock. Have you ever seen it? Some of the space scenes made me dizzy but I loved the ending. You can see my full review on my Movie Review Mom YouTube channel!
We get to see a little bit of Niagara Falls, as the setting is just on the Canadian side. In a fun scene, we see two of the girls wear yellow ponchos and go behind the powerful Niagara Falls. I got to do that a few years ago with my husband and we got absolutely drenched, loving every minute.
We get a little peek inside the world of stand-up comedy, as well as how hard it is to be successful in the “art” world.
It’s touching to see how supportive Sam’s roommates are. Everyone should have friends that will see you through rough times like that.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The movie bounces around from past to present and back again, which can be a bit confusing when you’re trying to figure out the timeline. That being said, I do like the nonlinear style of storytelling.
It’s kind of annoying we have to wait so long to figure out exactly what prompted the trauma.
The dialogue is really good; however, why do there have to be so many F-bombs? I understand that’s probably the language of all the characters in this movie, but I’m so tired of feeling assaulted when I try to watch movies.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored. It’s not appropriate for them to watch anyway.
Lots of profanity and a million F-bombs
Some crude conversations about LGBTQ+ relationships
We see an unmarried couple in bed.
We see a young woman in the bathtub, but we don’t see any private parts, thank goodness. I just don’t need to see all that in order to understand what’s happening in that scene.
Drug use
We see terrible behavior when people are drunk and/or on drugs.

THEMES:

PTSD
Relationships
Self-worth
Supporting friends
Bad cops
Rape

FUNNY LINES:

“Good job for washing your body.” – Paige (Sabrina Jalees)
“Orchids are so psychotic.” – Sam (Rachel Sennott)
“I spend most of my time with overgrown children.” – Sam (Rachel Sennott)
“I gotta go because I have a date, and in his bio, it says that he’s a poet so that will be fun to torture my parents with.” – Zara (Hoodo Hersi)
“It’s no fair that GenZ already knows about like skin serums and stuff, so there’s just going to rule the world with their pore-less skin forever.” – Sam (Rachel Sennott)
And that is why you should never experiment with alcohol or pastel denim until your bladder fully develops at age 18.” – Sam (Rachel Sennott)
“It’s killing me to be here but I DO look hot.” – Sam (Rachel Sennott)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Stop swearing. It doesn’t sound cool.” – Sam (Rachel Sennott) What’s ironic is that she has a terrible potty-mouth, herself
“Everyone needs ‘we’s’ in their life.” – Noah (Ennis Esmer)