Shakes the Clown (1991)

Sadly Over-hyped

How sad is this?

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This film surprised me. I never expected Bob Goldthwait to write, direct and star in such a clever black comedy. The opening scene is one of the most memorable introductions to a protagonist I've ever seen. I watched this with a group of friends nearly ten years ago and we were polarized. Most of us loved it, but some just didn't get into it. I rented it again recently and enjoyed it even more the second time around. Give it a shot and ask for this film next time you're in the video store. If you like your comedy dark then you are missing out if you haven't seen this film. Look for cameos by some of comedy's greats including Robin Williams as a terrible mime (I hope we never have to see him in a spandex unitard again)...

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!

I can't speak too highly about this masterpiece of comedy. My sons, 22 & 23 years old, respectively, and I have watched this movie twenty times over the years ... there are so many great scenes ... amazing lines. It is a work of pure genius. Unfortunately, such personal and amazingly realized artistic visions like this one of Goldthwait's are rarely valued in this culture.I am glad to see there are so many people who give the movie 10 stars. Needless to say, those who dislike the film are the kind of pinheads and morons who have never hung out with such clowns (party or rodeo), mimes, or drunks. Don't even know why they bothered to post comments: I suspect hidden issues at play.Great cast, great script. The Bobcat deserves a lifetime achievement award for Shakes alone!

I remember my girlfriend and I going to see this movie in great anticipation on its opening weekend back in 1992. It just seemed perfect -- a comedy about a down-and-out clown with a drinking problem. Had a solid cast as well with impressive cameo appearances. The sub-plot with the rivalry between mimes and clowns was another great idea.But it was, and remains, in the top 5 of the most disappointing and inexcusably awful films I've ever endured. Some films are bad due to low budget, or poor talent, or bad concept (or a combination of these things), but this had everything it needed and failed -- resoundingly -- on all fronts. I remember sitting there with my sweet girlfriend and just waiting and waiting for a laugh -- anything -- to show up. Only one thing made us laugh -- when Shakes is trash-talking with another clown in the clown bar and the clown is at a loss for words and says something like, "Well, you're the captain of the diarrhea club". Doesn't sound funny does it? In any other film it would have been a terrible and disgusting line but to a tearful of moviegoers desperate for a laugh, it was like water in the desert.My lasting impression of this film was how deeply mean-spirited, overly dark, cruel, and scatological it was. It was as if 11-year-old bullies were given the task to write/direct/produce a major motion picture. Those attributes are rarely really funny, even to pre-teens.You WILL be disappointed with this film -- it doesn't even have value as something to poke fun at. Instead of watching this film, watch "Kingpin" instead, which is a similar sort of film but is actually watchable and humorous at times.