Robert De Niro plays a washed-up comedian who can’t get past his TV hit’s iconic role. He struggles with bad gigs, has a brief jail stint and meets a woman half his age (gotta hate that trite setup). The character is a shock/insult comic and his personality is abrasive and cruel, which makes him less than sympathetic. His bad attitude doesn’t help. De Niro doesn’t demonstrate any particular standup skill and never makes the character especially likable, He is surrounded by lots of cameos and spotting them is the most fun in the movie. Accomplished director Taylor Hackford has kept the interactions lively, but the writing doesn’t add the depth or humor to make him or his plight enjoyable. Most of the comedy is more about wincing than laughing.

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