
Lenny Freeman is a straight-laced old-school accountant with a dream; to become a famous stand-up comedian. The problem is he's not very funny. Not even close. When his mother dies, leaving him nothing but debt and her '53 Oldsmobile, Lenny hits the road to chase his dream in Vegas and auditioning for Monte Guy's annual "Stand-Up Stand-Off". Along the way (and against his better judgment) Lenny picks up a mysterious traveler named "Hitch" and his trip quickly turns from bad t... (Full plot summary below)
Enjoy FREE movies and series with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!
Links compiled using automated software. Availability of offers subject to change / might be region specific / out of date.
Lenny Freeman is a straight-laced old-school accountant with a dream; to become a famous stand-up comedian. The problem is he's not very funny. Not even close. When his mother dies, leaving him nothing but debt and her '53 Oldsmobile, Lenny hits the road to chase his dream in Vegas and auditioning for Monte Guy's annual "Stand-Up Stand-Off". Along the way (and against his better judgment) Lenny picks up a mysterious traveler named "Hitch" and his trip quickly turns from bad to worse when they stop at a small-town bar. Lenny jumps on stage as a warm-up act, but a run-in with a heckler leads to murder. Now with a dead body in his trunk, Lenny and Hitch are on the run. As the body count piles up, Lenny tries to free himself from his psychotic sidekick and escape to Vegas with the girl of his dreams. But Hitch won't shake so easily. They've got a contract. And the devil is in the details...literally. Not to mention the fact that all this blood and mayhem is having a strange side-effect on Lenny. It is actually improving his comedy.
Leave your thoughts about Middle Man.
| The Seattle TimesTom KeoghIn more careless hands, Middle Man’s deranged farce could have resulted in an unchecked, undisciplined movie with nothing to say. But beneath the roller-coaster madness here is an earthbound terror that art is meant to reveal. |
| Hammer to NailJessica Baxter[Middle Man] is a unique concept and a great opportunity for O'Heir to really flex his acting muscles and show that he's more than just a farting punch line. |
| Solzy at the MoviesDanielle SolzmanParks and Recreation alumnus Jim O'Heir displays his range in the indie film, Middle Man... |
| VarietyScott TobiasCrowley’s thinly conceived debut feature only has one big joke, and everything around it is either long-winded setup or deflating letdown. |
| The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe execution is weak, and Crowley does himself no favors by repeatedly invoking the memory of more psychologically persuasive films like Five Easy Pieces and Deliverance. |
| Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshIt commits the worst comedy crime of all — there’s no punchline. |
| User ReviewLuis GMiddle Man is an awesome movie if you're a fan of Dark Comedy. If you're a fan of Jim O'heir in Parks, you'll love him as Lenny in what I believe to be one of his best performances to date. Ned Crowley also did an outstanding job in writing the story and directing the film. It's a must see. |
| User ReviewJason%20 GJim O'Heir showed what he can do beyond Parks and Rec, and in my opinion, this movie was outstanding! The deterioration of the human condition is something that is rarely well-executed, and this film revives my faith in that premise. West was phenomenal in the supporting role, and the simplicity and very little soundtrack had me thinking of No Country For Old Men. Kept me on my toes the whole time. Was not expecting the end, but found myself satisfied with the dark, somewhat sad twist to close out this film. I feel everyone should give it a chance! |
| User ReviewPierre CVery interesting movie. The acting is good, grungy and meaty. The movie makes us care about the characters. Ventriloquist puppet Jesus on the Cross is hilarious. "Middle Man" poses some fascinating questions about humour. Why were the old comedians funny in their day? (Abbott & Costello, Burns & Allen, Jack Benny, Chaplin). Were they ever as funny as today's more hip comedians? Why are they boring today? Is it because they have been copied ad nauseam? Have we grown more sophisticated? Or are we missing the context, the zeitgeist? Note how Lenny's gruesome recitation is very funny because if the context, because of how we perceive it. Past generation were as smart as we are. Why was their humour so different? Were any jesters in Imperial Rome, or Medieval Europe, as hip as today's Seinfeld, Luis C.K., Chris Rock, Richard Pryor? Where is a Lenny Bruce type in the Old Testament? |
| User ReviewButch HI must be demented. I liked this movie. I was still chuckling this morning after watching it last night. It's dark, really dark. And, it's silly and full of cliches and some groans but I found it funny. Not many "comedies" can make be laugh out loud, but this one did. Call me sick. |