A Futile and Stupid Gesture
Writer Doug Kenney co-founds National Lampoon magazine in 1970.
17 June 1970, Alameda County, California, USA
18 August 1943, Chicago, Illinois, USA
17 June 1979, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
20 November 1971, Rome, Lazio, Italy
January 26, 2018
A Futile and Stupid Gesture does right by the late genius of Doug Kenney.
January 25, 2018
It serves as a useful explainer to viewers who aren't comedy nerds as to why the most sought after job by Harvard grads, after doctor or lawyer, is a writing gig on "The Simpsons."
January 25, 2018
The only aspect of it that I found I could focus on with even a modicum of interest was Will Forte's sideburns.
January 25, 2018
A conventionally raucous biopic that knows it's conventional and hopes to get away with said convention by occasionally breaking the fourth wall to goof on its deployment of these hoary tropes.
January 25, 2018
An impishly meta cartoon that manages to squeeze in some serious themes - although I'm not sure it leaves you with more than a desire to read (or reread) Kenney's most famous Lampoon works.
January 25, 2018
While Wain has developed an immunity to the biopic's blustery pretension, he's not so wary of the form's more superficial shortcomings.
January 25, 2018
Forte captures Kenney's deadpan comedic insanity and his wry humor, but also conveys the sense of melancholy and emotional restlessness plaguing Doug.
January 25, 2018
"Futile" lies haphazardly between funny and not, as comedies about comedy tend to do.
January 25, 2018
It's to A Futile and Stupid Gesture's credit that it manages to have a widespread appeal, and will likely be an enjoyable viewing experience for both those already interested in the history of comedy and those who may know next-to-nothing about Lampoon.
January 24, 2018
There's a musicality to Wain's direction that's addicting, and the emotional punch in the final five minutes proves there's a future for the filmmaker that goes way beyond the yucks. In that respect, A Futile and Stupid Gesture is anything but that.
January 26, 2018
Kenney and Beard are friends and business partners who experience the ups and downs of their creative partnership, but like many things in "A Futile and Stupid Gesture," their relationship feels like a glossy version of the truth.
January 25, 2018
David Wain has made the hilarious and irreverent movie that National Lampoon deserves.
