{"id":22075,"date":"2012-01-20T13:43:45","date_gmt":"2012-01-20T20:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22075"},"modified":"2021-01-24T23:35:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T06:35:43","slug":"funnyman-1967","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22075","title":{"rendered":"Funnyman (1967)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t mean anything. I want it to mean something &#8212; anything!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Poster-300x222.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"222\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Poster-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Poster-128x95.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Poster.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA comedian (Peter Bonerz) struggles to find both romantic and creative meaning in his life.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Character Studies<\/li>\n<li>Comedians<\/li>\n<li>John Korty Films<\/li>\n<li>Mid-Life Crisis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nJohn Korty&#8217;s second feature-length outing &#8212; after his uniquely satisfying debut film <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9893\"><em>The Crazy-Quilt<\/em> (1966)<\/a> &#8212; was this highly experimental character study starring <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Peter_Bonerz\">Peter Bonerz<\/a> (then active in the Bay Area improv troupe known as <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Committee_%28improv_group%29\">The Committee<\/a>). Unfortunately, the non-linear, improvisational storyline (co-written by Bonerz and Korty) fails to engage us on anything other than a superficial level; the central protagonist&#8217;s quest for satisfaction in both his career and his love life never really sustains our interest, largely because we&#8217;re not emotionally invested in this likable but self-absorbed character. As the film opens, we see that Bonerz&#8217; &#8220;Perry&#8221; has recently broken up with a long-time girlfriend (though we don&#8217;t learn why); throughout the course of the movie, he sleeps with various women who present themselves to him, but learn next to nothing about any of them. Meanwhile, we see Perry&#8217;s resentment at having to bastardize his creative talents by contributing ideas to a marketing firm &#8212; which ironically leads to one of the film&#8217;s most engaging and inventive sequences, as we see stop-motion advertisements Bonerz has dreamed up for bug spray; one can&#8217;t help thinking of Korty&#8217;s later work on the enormously inventive <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9120\"><em>Twice Upon a Time<\/em> (1983)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22079\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation3.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation3-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When Perry throws a tantrum and demands to be given a chance to put on a solo show, we&#8217;re curious to see what he&#8217;ll come up with &#8212; but the result is imminently forgettable. Meanwhile, the rest of the film turns into essentially a meandering road trip, as Bonerz leaves the city (to where, we&#8217;ve never sure) and encounters a variety of diverse individuals. I won&#8217;t say more, at risk of giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that the final half-hour or so consists of a series of intriguingly <em>cin\u00e9ma v\u00e9rit\u00e9<\/em> encounters without nearly enough narrative context to sustain them. Ultimately, the entire affair comes across as simply self-indulgent &#8212; which is not to say it doesn&#8217;t hold interest on some level. Korty is a strong enough director that even his overly experimental, New Wave-inspired cinematic palette &#8212; including frequent shifts from b&#038;w cinematography to various tinted hues &#8212; can be forgiven as simply an attempt to bring a fresh perspective to the proceedings. However, while <em>The Crazy-Quilt<\/em> is a hidden must-see gem (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnkorty.com\/crazyquilt.html\">buy a copy from Korty himself!<\/a>), <em>Funnyman<\/em> is only worth seeking out if you have a strong interest in the early development of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnkorty.com\/about.html\">Korty&#8217;s unusual oeuvre<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Bonerz had supporting roles in a few big-name films after this &#8212; including <em>What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?<\/em> (1969) (not listed in Peary&#8217;s book), <em>Medium Cool<\/em> (1969), and <em>Catch-22<\/em> (1970) &#8212; and was <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/serial-therapist.png\">the coke-sniffing psychiatrist<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11367\"><em>Serial<\/em> (1980)<\/a>; his best-known role was probably as Dr. Jerry Robinson on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Bob_Newhart_Show\">&#8220;The Bob Newhart Show&#8221;<\/a>. However, the bulk of his career has been spent as a director; see his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0094288\/\">listing at IMDb<\/a> for more details. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Creative incorporation of animation<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Animation-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Peter Bonerz as Perry<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Bonerz.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Bonerz.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Bonerz.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Bonerz-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Funnyman-Bonerz-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s worth a look. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0179189\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1967\/09\/25\/archives\/film-festival-something-40-years-old-and-much-thats-newgances.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t mean anything. I want it to mean something &#8212; anything!&#8221; Synopsis: A comedian (Peter Bonerz) struggles to find both romantic and creative meaning in his life. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Character Studies Comedians John Korty Films Mid-Life Crisis Review: John Korty&#8217;s second feature-length outing &#8212; after his uniquely satisfying debut film The Crazy-Quilt (1966) &#8212; was this highly experimental character study starring Peter Bonerz (then active in the Bay Area improv troupe known as The Committee). Unfortunately,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22075\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22075"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65811,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22075\/revisions\/65811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}