Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Don't Believe the Hype

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Having seen this movie twice says a lot about how good this Aussie comedy flick is, because life's too short to watch bad movies repeatedly...especially when there's so many to choose from. Carl Barron's story is one a lot of performers can relate to. In this movie the hero speaks to thousands nightly on stage or TV, but doesn't cope as well in one on one situations whether it's with his dad, the local Bar man his manager or girls. Like his apartment it makes you happy when u c Sydney Harbour or sad when u c the city.

Manny Lewis is fun little movie with a simple plot that is easy to follow. The story is nothing new, and follows a successful comedian who wants to meet a woman, and then he meets a woman and some things happen. There are bits of comedy and bits of drama, some happy moments and some sad moments.There's not much in the way of side plots, and the story at times seems overly simplistic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The story flows quickly from one scene to the next, with nothing added to pad out the running time. We want to know what happens next and we don't have to wait. The main character is the focus of almost every single scene, which keeps things flowing nicely. The film is short and fun and not too long. And although it is pretty predictable, it is still very enjoyable.Additionally, it was very nice to see Carl Barron in an acting role. I'm a big fan of his stand-up work, so it was a real treat to watch him in a film. He's actually a pretty decent actor. The film incorporates much of the comedian's work into it, showing him performing onstage. I probably would have rated this film a full star lower if it had featured any other actor in the lead role (if I had even watched it at all) but thankfully it does not.

Sure it's a predictable Romantic Comedy, but it felt less contrived and more real, especially the first half. It's no Hollywood blockbuster but was such a joy to watch and seemed more authentic. Until the usual rom-com ending but that's always expected so it wasn't so bad. Also, in a way, it was a bit deeper than I expected as it touched on that everyday dreary misery and loneliness and how the cycle can be played out in normal situations. Also on past hurts and how that can create a twist in us, especially when things aren't going are way. Although these weren't heavily explored it definitely added depth to the characters and allowed me to connect with them so much more than i expected. Carl's acting is great and the humour isn't over the top. The leading lady was gorgeous but also played perfectly and not exaggerated and exhausting, but just quirky and simple and although there was no backstory to her, there was enough to care for her character. The music was also great with a favourite of mine by husky in there. Short and sweet, it leaves you with a smile!

As a huge fan of Carl Barron's work it was hard not to have high expectations. I'd seen quite a bit of the promotional material that was released beforehand so I knew that the movie wasn't going to be a straight out comedy. I admire the path that the filmmakers decided to take in making it more of a serious piece. It shows you a side of Carl which you don't see on-stage, which is really interesting. I however was a little disappointed by how much of the movie was shown in the adverts and trailer, I feel like they definitely showed too much of it. It did achieve it's goal of giving the potential audience an idea of what the film was going to be like, however I found that there was only one aspect of the plot which they chose to leave out that made it unexpected and exciting. I won't say what it is, as it is quite a good (and one of the only) surprises of the movie. I will however say that it is clever and definitely something that makes the movie worth seeing. If you go in without expectations that the film will be hilarious all the way through then you are sure to enjoy the story and the characters for what they really are; something that is honest and real.