I love this movie so much

That was an excellent one.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Shakes the Clown (1991) ** (out of 4) Interesting but in the end failed comedy about an alcoholic clown named Shakes (Bobcat Goldthwait) who can't seem to get his life in order. He's no longer funny, always missing appointments and all of this is due to his constant and over-the-top drinking. Goldthwait not only plays the lead here but he also wrote and directed the picture. Overtime Goldthwait would become one of the most interesting directors out there for black comedies and we all have to start somewhere and more times than not no one nails their talent right off the bat. SHAKES THE CLOWN has an interesting set-up and a bizarre atmosphere about it but Goldthwait does very little with it and in the end there's just not enough going for the film to make it work. The biggest problem is the actual screenplay because nothing works itself out. It seems that Goldthwait was just kicking around ideas and thought a drunk clown would be funny and it is but a funny idea isn't going to carry a 90-minute movie. So, we're given the good idea in a drunk clown but the story goes nowhere. There's just so many times you can see a clown puke, down a beer or say cuss words before it gets old. Goldthwait is good in his role as Shakes but one wishes he would have written a better part. The supporting cast includes Julie Brown as his dumb girlfriend and we even get Robin Williams in a quick cameo. Yes, that's Adam Sandler in a brief part but it's possible most won't recognize him. SHAKES THE CLOWN is an interesting experiment but in the end it just never comes together.

This movie has an All Star cast, (or at least a lot of them)Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Florence Henderson, & LaWanda Page (aunt Ester from Sanford and Son). A stark look at alcoholism through the loopy eyes of rouge clowns. They drink and carouse, drive strange clown cars, and close down "The Twisted Balloon" bar every night. No one as well as Shakes (Bobcat Goldthwait). He wakes up every morning puking but he doesn't have a problem because and can quit when he wants. He just doesn't because he has a lot of fun drinking. He gets fired drinking at a kids party and going nuts (a very funny scene). There are so many zany one liners in this movie. Like when the bar fly lady Aunt ester says "As soon as that camera is off, he gonna f*** that little dog." after Peppy the Clown announces his (forced) retirement from the clown kids TV show. He's all crying and announcing his replacement "Binky" the biggest piece of crap in clown land. Shake thought he was going to get the TV show, guess not. At the bar one of Binkies cronies tells Shakes "Oh, yeah? Well, the only show YOU could ever star in would be a show called the... Not... Funny... DIARRHEA CLUB!" Later Binky frames Shakes for killing Owen Cheese, Shakes boss and father figure (after Shakes dad died in that elephant mishap) Owen finds Binky and a couple of dope dealing rodeo clowns snorting coke and Binky gives a funny line-"You didn't see nothing old man. We're just five happy party clowns, sitting down to a plate of beef. White- powdery- beef." The rest of the show is about Shakes figuring out he did not kill his boss (he was so drunk he didn't know) then finally finding redemption at a 12 step program. This show is hard to watch for people who can't understand addiction, especially when its twisted into a whimsical very dark comedy. Very unique, nothing else even close to like it!

This movie won't win any technical awards, but if you like dark comedies (this film makes "Barton Fink" look light and breezy at times), this is the movie for you. At times uproariously funny, the poignant parts are luckily kept to a minimum, and there are gritty moments as well. Whether you're a rodeo clown, party clown, or even a lowly mime, this is a movie chock full of lines you'll find yourself repeating in all the most inappropriate occasions. Besides--didn't you kind of suspect that all clowns were miserable deep down, and drunk constantly? Just beware--this is not a kids' film by any stretch of the imagination, and some of the scenes of Shakes dealing with his alcoholism are stomach-churning, but it provides the backdrop for some serious comedic writing unmatched by virtually every other film out there.

A reviewer at the Boston Globe once called this, "The Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies." Given the number of points of comparison, who could argue?I was reminded of this when I recently saw the 2003 movie, "Bad Santa" -- which was a similar one-joke, cynical comedy about an obnoxious alcoholic employed as a character meant to bring joy into the lives of children. (The name "Shakes" takes on a whole new meaning when the lead character attempts to detox.) If that one joke works, so goes the movie. So for comparison, I recently rented it not long after seeing "Bad Santa."While Bad Santa received a great number of favorable critical reviews, this movie wasn't as fortunate. Upon further review, I have to say that this movie never got the credit it deserved.Is it a great movie? Oh no. This is a movie that attempts to be so bad and foul, rolling in its own filth, that best targets people with the right, low-expectation mindset. But you could also say that of "There's Something About Mary."It employs humor in some of the background scenes a la "Airplane." Its use of cheesy 70s actors is pure genius and helps complete the joke. (Nevermind Robin Williams, an early Adam Sandler, and the then-future voice of Sponge Bob Squarepants as the evil Binky the Clown.) If you can manage a smirk during John Waters' "Mondo Trasho," you'll likely find the movie to be quite funny overall.It's Bobcat's opus, and its no wonder he never really made much of anything since; the same was true for Orson Wells after "Citizen Kane"...