Funny Bones Movie Review

For me, the jewel of 1995's San Francisco International Film Festival was Peter Chelsom's Funny Bones, about which the less said the better. Funny Bones really must be seen to be believed and appreciated. This very black comedy stars young American character actor Oliver Platt and young Britcom newcomer Lee Evans. The film's extremely dark undercurrents aren't just plot driven—they give Funny Bones its emotional core. Shot at the legendary comedy factory of Ealing Studios, on location in Las Vegas, and in Blackpool, Funny Bones is the ideal blend of Golden Age tradition and Chelsom's cutting edge humor. What are Jerry Lewis, Ruta Lee, Oliver Reed, Leslie Caron, and Harold Nicholas all doing in the same movie? The enormous risks taken in Funny Bones wouldn't be nearly as breathtaking without their combined 231 years of razor-sharp timing and onscreen charisma.

1994 (R) 128m/C Oliver Platt, Lee Evans, Leslie Caron, Jerry Lewis, Oliver Reed, Ian McNeice, Ruta Lee, Richard Griffith, George Carl, Freddie Davies; D: Peter Chelsom; W: Peter Chelsom, Peter Flannery; C: Eduardo Berra; M: John Altman. VHS, LV, Closed Caption