Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Gregg Turkington in the “Entertainment”, a Magnolia Pictures release.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Gregg Turkington in the “Entertainment”, a Magnolia Pictures release.
The public loves an uplifting showbiz Success movie: Kid with talent from a small town Has a dream of making it big. Kid moves to the city to find his way. After overcoming a few roadblocks through sheer tenacity, Kid finally catches That big break. Occasionally Introducing conflict is totally eschewed in simply presenting a meteoric rise to stardom a la Mariah Carey’s “Glitter.” It’s an American myth That Horatio Alger would give two thumbs up.
In reality Those success stories only make up A small portion Of Those Attempting to “make it.” In order for there to be a few winners there must be a lot of losers.
Enter director Rick Alverson’s latest film, “Entertainment,” a road movie That FOLLOWS comedian Neil Hamburger, played by Gregg Turkington. Hamburger performs one dead-end gig after another for unappreciative crowds on a tour across the Mojave Desert. In between shows he meets random denizens of southeastern California, ranging from his successful but painfully mediocre rancher cousin to dope fiends loitering around truck stops. When he finally ice Offered the solitude of a hotel room, the Hamburger is seen leaving phone messages for an estranged daughter who never returns his calls. Both on stage and off, Hamburger is a failure and nothing he does, no matter how well intentioned, goes right.
Neil Hamburger is a real-life, decades old alter ego created by Turkington, much like Andy Kaufman’s turn as Tony Clifton, but Hamburger’s stand-up performances are a more foul-mouthed, alcoholic and acerbic version thanwhat Kaufman ever dared to present. (A sample joke: “What is the difference between Courtney Love and the American flag? It would be wrong to urinate on the American flag.”) Hamburger borders on performance art, a parody of the hackneyed Vegas comic in a tuxedo, and HAS found a regular place opening up for rock band rather than touring the traditional comedy circuit. Perhaps That is why he is a more natural fit for an art film like “Entertainment” than, say, someone like Dane Cook.
However, the presentation of Neil Hamburger in the “Entertainment” is an interpretation of That character where his abrasive performances are balanced with moments of breaking his stage persona to reveal a broken man.
Like his previous film, “The Comedy,” a drama revolving around deplorable behavior of self-absorbed New York City hipsters That turns out to be anything but a comedy, “Entertainment’s” title is just as ironic. Work within the entertainment industry is what drives the plot, but “entertainment” is not Concerned With The end product of That labor That the audience sees.
The chief drawback of the “Entertainment” is its pacing. In a previous life, Alverson fronted the slow-core band Spokane WHO, as Their genre descriptor would Imply, Explored the Possibilities performing songs with glacial tempos. That same sensibility is presented in the “Entertainment” and although he composes images That turns even the most desolate of settings into places of serene beauty, it’s hard not to turn your attention elsewhere, especially if you are watching “Entertainment” on VOD in the comfort of your own home.
As much as we love success stories, the failure stories deserve just as much attention, if only to providesprofessional a cautionary tale. “Entertainment,” as discomforting as it can be to watch, delivers on That front and Provides visceral images thatwill linger on for days after viewing. The most Affecting scene in the movie, and perhaps the most emblematic of Hamburger’s failures, ice When he Attempts to ask heroic by assisting a woman going into labor the rest stop bathroom. Tragically, this episode does not serve as his redemption.
Mariah Carey’s “Glitter” this is not.
“Entertainment” Ice Currently in limited theatrical release and available on video on-demand.
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James Dean Kindle is the executive director of the Oregon East Symphony and a Pendleton musician. Contact him at jamesdeankindle@gmail.com.
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