Working a dead end job at an upscale greengrocer in New York City, twenty-one year old Charlie Murray wants to try to become a stand-up comic due to a combination of factors in her life, including comedy being a touchstone to her father who died a few years ago from a heart attack, an estrangement with her mother for what Charlie believes was a contributing factor to that heart attack, and Charlie herself in recovery from a skin cancer scare. Her first attempt at stand-up at ... (Full plot summary below)
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Working a dead end job at an upscale greengrocer in New York City, twenty-one year old Charlie Murray wants to try to become a stand-up comic due to a combination of factors in her life, including comedy being a touchstone to her father who died a few years ago from a heart attack, an estrangement with her mother for what Charlie believes was a contributing factor to that heart attack, and Charlie herself in recovery from a skin cancer scare. Her first attempt at stand-up at an open mic night is a disaster in being unable to stand up to a heckler. She eventually discovers from among other people Dennis the club owner that that heckler is Bob Carpenter, who once was one of the edgier stand-up comics in town, but for various reasons, including family issues of his own and an incident at the end of what was his last routine that he gave up the life, but is still at the periphery of the stand-up world. In their many subsequent less than chance encounters, Charlie is eventually able to convince him to be her mentor in wanting to learn all about the finer details of stand-up from someone who went through it rather than "teachers" who probably were failures at it if they attempted it at all. In their time together, Bob may be better able to deal with his life issues in learning from Charlie as much as she learns about the world she wants to be a part of from Bob.
Leave your thoughts about All Joking Aside.
| Film ThreatRob RectorAll Joking Aside gives us but a glimpse of the pain behind the smiles, but like an evening at a comedy club, leaves us with a good-natured grin. |
| Original-CinJim SlotekI get why people want to make movies about comedy that make you cry. But making you laugh first – I mean, really laugh – would make for a potent combination indeed. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreAll Joking Aside isn’t awful and Harewood isn’t its lone shortcoming. The script is too thin to hold our interest. Stand-up is so over-covered as film subject matter that the only way it can work in a movie these days is as backdrop for a more interesting story in the foreground. |
