Funny Bones (1995)

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"Why do all the best things in life belong to the past?" Comedian Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) has a hard act to follow. His father, George (Jerry Lewis), is a zany comic beloved by all. At Tommy's debut in Las Vegas, he fails miserable and disappears. He's gone off to Blackpool, England, where he spent summers as a child, in search of funny material and a parter for comedy routines.

What he finds is his father's former comedy partners, the Parker brothers, and a whole bag of family secrets that suddenly frees him from the muck of being the son of a celebrity.

Also appearing are Lee Evans as a tragic young comic, Jack Parker; Leslie Caron as Jack's devoted mother; George Carl and Freddie Davies as Bruno and Thomas Parker; Richard Griffiths as the manager of the seaside resort; and Oliver Reed.

A strange, at times surrealistic, little film that often reminded me of some of the Coen brother's work.

Written and directed by Peter Chelsom.

Run time: 2 hours, 8 minutes

Rated R for some language and a scene of tragic violence.

My personal rating: B