“The Best Movies You’ve Never Heard Of” is a collection of articles focusing on lesser-known films of remarkable quality. Here we have “Funny Bones” (1995) which is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by cinephiles.
Directed by Peter Chelsom, this dark comedy explores the eccentric world of comedy through the lens of a struggling comedian played by Oliver Platt.
With a stellar ensemble cast, including Jerry Lewis and Lee Evans, the film delivers a mix of laughter and pathos.
Its clever storytelling and memorable performances make “Funny Bones” a truly unforgettable cinematic experience worth seeking.
The Best Movies You’ve Never Heard Of: “Funny Bones” (1995)
Peter Chelsom’s 1995 film Funny Bones is a multifaceted work that defies easy classification.
It pays homage to Vaudeville, celebrates English eccentricity reminiscent of old Ealing comedies, and delves into various genres, including drama, tragedy, melodrama, mystery, thriller, fantasy, horror, musical, and dark comedy.
Unlike previous films about performers doing comedy, Funny Bones delves deeper into the essence of comedy itself, exploring the distinction between those who aspire to be funny, those who possess an innate comedic instinct, and the essence of humor itself.
Attempting to summarize the intricate plot of Funny Bones is a daunting task.
The film unfolds in a complex and labyrinthine manner, with the discovery of the characters’ hidden secrets being a primary source of enjoyment for viewers.
Each viewing of Funny Bones offers new revelations, making it a rewarding experience. To provide a glimpse of the film’s essence without spoiling its surprises, one can examine the two central characters around whom the story revolves.
The first character introduced is Jack Parker, portrayed by British comedian Lee Evans in his cinematic debut.
The film’s enigmatic opening scene depicts a botched robbery at sea, where Jack is betrayed by his companions, including the corrupt cop Sharkey.
The scene sets the tone for Jack’s precarious position throughout the film as he navigates through a world fraught with deception and danger.
In the movie, we learn that Jack is a gifted comedian and hailswhoom, a family of performers.
His father, Bruno, and uncle, Thomas, formed a renowned slapstick comedy duo called the Parker Brothers.
Jack’s mother, Katie, of French descent, used to be part of the family act before divorcing Bruno. Jack himself also used to participate in their performances.
Despite being deeply troubled and facing significant hardships, Jack possesses remarkable comedic talent, surpassing his older relatives.
Comedy seems to come to him instinctively, whether he’s on stage or not.
Even during a police interrogation following a presumed suicide attempt after the robbery, Jack can’t help but turn the conversation with a psychiatrist into a Vaudeville-style routine.
Psychiatrist: “Where were you born?”
Jack: “Blackpool.”
Psychiatrist: “Why Blackpool?”
Jack: “’Cause I wanted to be near me, Mother.”
Psychiatrist: “Have you lived here all your life?”
Jack: “Not yet.”
However, Jack isn’t merely relying on innate talent; he’s also well-versed in the technical aspects of comedy due to years of experience.
In one scene, Jack meticulously assembles a reel-to-reel tape recording of sound effects and snippets from various radio broadcasts in the decrepit warehouse where he resides with his father, uncle, and pet dog on the Blackpool docks.
This recording serves a crucial purpose, as demonstrated during an open mic night at a small Blackpool nightclub.
Under the pseudonym “Val Radio,” Jack performs a “dummy act” synchronized with his sound montage recording, showcasing his brilliant physical comedy skills to the audience.
The routine garners hysterical laughter from the club attendees, but Jack’s performance is abruptly halted when Sharkey unexpectedly arrives, revealing Jack’s ban from performing imposed by local authorities for the past twelve years.
While the reason behind Jack’s ban remains a mystery until later in the film, it’s evident that Jack possesses the essence of comedy.
On the other side of the coin is Tommy Fawkes, portrayed by Oliver Platt. Like Jack, Tommy is in his 30s and comes from a family rooted in comedy.
However, Tommy lacks comedic talent; unlike Jack, his demeanor is characterized by arrogance and a sense of superiority.
Tommy’s story intersects with Jack’s as the film transitions from the Blackpool Sea to a Las Vegas casino, where Tommy is about to make his big debut at a prestigious venue after years of performing in small comedy clubs.
The transition is marked by the song “Beyond the Sea,” performed by a dancer backed by a big band and chorus girls.
In a scene that adds to the tension, Tommy grapples with severe backstage nerves in his dressing room before his performance.
Despite the efforts of his joke writer, Al, to calm him down, Tommy’s anxiety only intensifies.
Al: “How’s the star of the show?”
Tommy: “I’m gonna die.”
Al: (joking heartily) “Tommy, you’re among friends. We won’t let you die!”
Tommy: “No, Al, I don’t mean on stage–although I feel like shit—I mean, I’m gonna die!”
Al: “What is this? What’re you talking about?”
Tommy: “If I don’t do it, make it happen—you know, find that feeling—in two weeks, I’m just not gonna live any more.”
Al: “You mean you feel desperate, that’s all. A lot of people feel desperate before doing something exceptional.”
Tommy: “You know, Al, I’m not gonna play safe any more. I’m gonna take it to the edge –right to the edge—and do pirouettes.”
Al: “Pirouettes? What—what are you talking about?”
Tommy: “Pirouettes, you dumb fuck! And if I fall… well, so be it. You know? Who gives a shit, you know?!”
As Tommy’s nerves escalate, his joke writer Al advises him against telling “the sheep story,” cautioning that the mainstream audience won’t appreciate using the “F” word in the joke.
Al pleads with Tommy, emphasizing that using profanity will alienate the audience. Following Al’s departure, Tommy’s fiancée Jenny enters the dressing room and becomes emotional over Tommy’s behavior, leading her to break off their engagement.
Jenny is frustrated with Tommy’s cold demeanor and questions why people don’t find him funny before storming out.
Tommy, visibly shaken by the sudden turn of events, faces his biggest fear when his father, the renowned comedian George Fawkes, visits him.
George’s casual demeanor and attempts to reassure Tommy only exacerbate his nerves, especially as he mentions the anticipation of the audience and the thunderstorm outside, which adds to the tension.
Tommy is convinced that things can’t worsen, so they do when George is invited on stage during the performance.
Tommy, listening anxiously from the dressing room, pleads with his father not to accept the invitation.
Ignoring Tommy’s pleas, George takes the stage and delivers an impromptu stand-up routine, again overshadowing Tommy. Overwhelmed by the situation, Tommy retreats to the restroom and vomits in distress.
When Tommy eventually takes the stage, he struggles to connect with the audience, receiving only mild chuckles with his initial jokes.
Desperate for a reaction, Tommy tells the “sheep story,” despite Al’s earlier warning. However, as predicted, the audience needs to respond positively, even before he reaches the punchline.
Realizing the extent of his failure and witnessing people leaving the venue, Tommy abruptly ends his performance, announcing his departure and expressing his frustration to the audience before hastily leaving the stage.
Backstage, his loved ones discover a note on the mirror, indicating Tommy’s farewell and apology.
Instead of taking his own life, Tommy returns to his hometown of Blackpool, where he lived with his family before moving to America at the age of six.
He appears in a flashy mustard-yellow suit and a fake pencil mustache under the alias “Rick Tarascas,” resembling the pseudonym Jack adopts later in the film.
“Tarascas” informs his lawyer, Lawrence Berger, that he has come to Blackpool in search of fresh and distinctive comedy material. However, it becomes clear that Tommy aims to uncover the elusive secret of being funny.
Jack and Tommy meet at an open mic night, setting the stage for the story’s climax: a spectacular circus performance at a Blackpool arena, with the Parker Brothers as the main act.
Jack slips away from the audience while Jack’s father and uncle perform, arousing suspicion from Sharkey.
Magical and sinister events unfold, lives change, and Jack triumphantly returns before an audience.
However, whether this will lead to redemption or tragedy remains uncertain until the film’s final moments.
Throughout the film, director Chelsom demonstrates his creativity through inventive direction.
He showcases Blackpool, its eccentric residents, and the peculiar variety of acts auditioning for Tommy and Berger, including a bagpipe-playing dwarf, a lady with a singing poodle, and others.
Flashback sequences are portrayed in different film styles, with Jack’s in black-and-white with a documentary-like feel and Tommy’s in handheld, slightly blurry footage reminiscent of home movies.
Chelsom’s use of music is also noteworthy, incorporating a diverse range of artists such as John Lee Hooker, Duke Ellington, and Glenn Miller alongside a superb background score by John Altman.
Chelsom elicited outstanding performances from his cast in Funny Bones. Evans and Platt deliver their most impressive work yet as Jack and Tommy, while Davies and Carl convey a sense of resigned melancholy as the Parker Brothers.
Caron retains her sensuous charm, reminiscent of her youth, with a delightful portrayal of Katie. Jerry Lewis shines in what could be considered his best serious performance, surpassing even his role in Scorsese’s The King of Comedy.
Despite lacking a British accent, Chelsom specifically tailored his portrayal of George for him, emphasizing his invaluable connection to classic comedy. Ruta Lee, Ticky Holgado, Terrence Rigby, and Richard Griffiths also deliver noteworthy performances.
Oliver Reed’s portrayal of Dolly Hopkins, a flamboyant gay millionaire obsessed with mortality, stands out as one of the most unconventional roles of his career. However, much of his performance was cut from the final film.
Funny Bones, produced by Disney’s Hollywood Pictures division, faced challenges in marketing upon its release in 1995.
Despite efforts to promote it as a family comedy, the film received mixed reviews and struggled to find an audience.
Disney’s subsequent DVD release in 2003 lacked bonus features and misleadingly positioned Lewis as a co-star, potentially misleading viewers expecting a typical comedy.
Many unsuspecting parents may have been surprised by the film’s dark and unconventional themes, expecting a lighthearted experience based on its title and marketing materials.
A “dummy act” in Vaudeville refers to a performance where a comedian mimics actions to synchronize with music or a recording.
Before partnering with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis began his career by doing a dummy act, using phonograph records he played onstage.
