THE LAST LAUGH: A Comedy Of Errors

Between its strong premise and comedically capable cast, writer/director Greg Pritikin’s Netflix Original The Last Laugh is sure to please a broad audience market, though your ability to rewatch might waver for a majority of viewers. That’s not to say the movie is bad or without merit. Minor changes could have elevated the story to a more deserving level.

The final product, however, comes off as overly saccharine rather than the intended reaction of a clever comedy about our later years.

Better Than Average Dad Jokes

Comedic veteran Chevy Chase, known for his physical pratfalls and quick ad-libs, shows his age as the sympathetically washed up Al Heart, a former comedy agent since retired and widowed. His granddaughter, Jeannie, played endearingly by the wonderful Kate Micucci, convinces Al to move into a retirement community where his former client Buddy Green, Richard Dreyfus happens to reside.

What follows is a series of life-changing experiences for Al as he watches the residents of the community slowly deteriorate, leading him to yearn for the old days touring the comedy club scene. So far, the film has the workings of a brilliant senior road trip comedy with heart. Unfortunately, the script rushes through the key moments to make its point only to fill the voids with silly gags about getting old, which in themselves could have used a comedic punch up. The back and forth jibes work in the short term, but the writing plays it way too safe for any actual laugh sustaining impact from characters who are supposed to be naturally funny people.

The film is not without well-written humor, however. In fact, if anything the audience is short-sheeted by the length of Buddy’s stand-up sets, which only give him enough time to tell two or three well-landed zingers hysterically told by Dreyfus. The confident delivery and style, even when he flops, felt akin to what a real comedian goes through on stage. To be honest, the performance felt the most genuine in those moments and for a movie about comedians, more screen time should have been allotted for Dreyfus to truly shine as this character.

Magic Mushrooms And A Musical Number

There is no joke here. In an attempt to try something different and whimsical, the heartfelt impact of the third act twist is completely derailed by a tone-deaf drug-fueled musical bit with an off-key performance with Andie MacDowell and Chevy Chase, bringing the film to a screeching halt. This thud of a scene takes all of the emotion from what should be the catharsis of the film and instead drags the audience away from a major tearjerker in the plot.

Musical number aside, the score felt dated and hokey while adding nothing more than background noise when the characters are driving from gig to gig. The upside comes with the few short live performances by artists such as Jessie Payo and various jazz artists which outshine the main music of the picture.

The Last Laugh: Safe Comedy Finds An Audience

Comedy for a broad viewership is not without merit. The Last Laugh plays well as a multi-generational comedy one could watch with the family, save for a few overused Viagra jokes. The characters are likable and everyone onscreen does their best with the under-baked dialogue, but in a film about comedy, starring actual stand-up comedians, the likes of George Wallace and Lewis Black, should be sharper than the safe humor found throughout.

The flip side of this argument could be that clean jokes land on a less jaded generation more so than the under sixty crowd has grown accustomed to. That said, the mention of vulgar comedians in the movie, such as the hilariously brilliant, yet offensive Don Rickles makes one yearn for a bit more bite from the screenplay.

A curiosity, for sure if only to watch Richard Dreyfus shine when he hits the stage even in short bursts. The acting is great by all involved, especially the scene where Dreyfus and Chris Parnell bring the film to a beautifully heartfelt and realistic head. The Last Laugh tries its best to tell a sweet tale about growing old with dignity and never giving up on your true self. The film is a mild recommendation for the right audience.

Growing old can be a funny thing. What films about the Golden Years tickles your funny bone? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

The Last Laugh is currently available on Netflix.