Fans of Downey Sr. (which should be an enlarging group now that the box set of his early titles has appeared) should not miss this movie. It's Downey's humor all over the place, and it's a riot. The non-Downey parts -- the stuff about 'the miserable life of Chuck Barris' -- is just as appealing, in its way; it's great cult trashola. Moreover, Barris, who'd never convince anyone that he was a genuine actor, has great charm, and projects a sense of distance and disbelief that works very well as we watch him bouncing off the madness.
Granted, it helps if you remember the awful TV series, but I don't think it's an absolute necessity. You're probably better off watching "Chafed Elbows" or "Putney Swope" first... if those tickle you, you're ready for this.
Perhaps the movie's strangest quality is how undated it is: watch one episode of "America's Got Talent" and you're right back in the Gong Show era. It's an odd statement about our country -- or maybe contemporary civilization -- that can we watch this stuff without retching, but in any case, we can, and could, at least as far back as the '70's.
I must say I do find it hard to believe that Downey did not actually direct at least parts of this; Barris is the only director credited, but the atmosphere of much of it is Downey through-and-through. Yippee!
Granted, it helps if you remember the awful TV series, but I don't think it's an absolute necessity. You're probably better off watching "Chafed Elbows" or "Putney Swope" first... if those tickle you, you're ready for this.
Perhaps the movie's strangest quality is how undated it is: watch one episode of "America's Got Talent" and you're right back in the Gong Show era. It's an odd statement about our country -- or maybe contemporary civilization -- that can we watch this stuff without retching, but in any case, we can, and could, at least as far back as the '70's.
I must say I do find it hard to believe that Downey did not actually direct at least parts of this; Barris is the only director credited, but the atmosphere of much of it is Downey through-and-through. Yippee!