The Opening Act Review: A Hilarious, Entertaining, and Highly Personal Coming of Age Story

Release date: October 16, 2020
Running time: 90 minutes
Starring: Jimmy O. Yang, Alex Moffat, Cedric The Entertainer, Neal Brennan, Debby Ryan, Ken Jeong, Bill Burr, Jermaine Fowler, Russell Peters, Whitney Cummings, Tom Segura, and Iliza Shlesinger
Written and Directed by: Steve Byrne
Produced by: Vince Vaughn & Peter Billingsley

Will Chu (Yang) has it all--the job, the girl--but what’s missing is his true passion in life, to become a stand-up comedian. When he gets the opportunity he’s been waiting for, the emcee slot on the road opening for his hero Billy G. (Jeong), the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Between relentless hecklers, drunk comedy groupies, and hard-to-impress morning radio DJs, things get off to a rough start. Even if he can take the opportunity to learn from his idols and overcome the challenges, Will still needs to decide if he should continue with the life he has, or pursue the one he has always dreamt of--the life of a comedian.

The main draw of this film is the who's who cast of accomplished comedians.  Jimmy O. Yang is perfect as Will, and he has a great sense of awkward, sometimes self-deprecating humor and a solid repertoire of jokes.  And as an Asian American, the story resonated with me doubly so due to Yang's own jokes about Asian culture.  Yang is joined by some very talented and funny comedians in his pursuit of his dream, namely his temporary roommate Chris (Moffat).  Moffat plays this character wonderfully, and he is the perfect foil for Yang in this film.  His character and Will are polar opposites, yet they get along well due to their love of comedy and Will's desire to learn the industry.  You also have a surprisingly heartfelt performance from Cedric the Entertainer, who plays a jaded comedian who Will has looked up to since he was a kid.  Cedric plays this naturally, maybe drawing from his own personal experience in the area.  And another thing I appreciated is that you have this all star cast of comedians, but they aren't all playing crazy funny characters.  Russell Peters, who I absolutely love as a comedian, plays a more serious character that was pivotal to the movie.  

But a movie about a hopeful comedian pursing his dream needs to have funny moments, and thankfully The Opening Act has many of them.  Aside from the jokes themselves, which are funny when they want to be, the film has plenty of awkward and crazy situations that will make you laugh and occasionally cringe.  Will's journey is a tough one and he powers through several physical, emotional, and situational challenges to pursue his dreams.  Sure, there are some jokes that fall flat, but overall this movie is a very funny one and a chance to see a whole host of comedians doing what they love.  

I also really appreciated the story of The Opening Act.  It is a great coming of age film about pursuing your dream and the sacrifices that need to be made.  The film feels very personal and I imagine there was a lot pulled from writer and director Steve Byrne's own experiences in comedy.  And part of that is including some scenes that are painful, both physically and emotionally, to highlight some of the difficulties of starting out and pursuing your dream.  But this film also feels like a story and set of lessons that apply outside of comedy.  The idea of following your dreams and pushing yourself is something that is universal, and many of us have the chance to do that with the extra time from quarantine.  But the reality is that pursuing your dreams often takes effort, hard work, and sacrifice, something that this film shows perfectly.  And it is also a hard truth that you just might not be good at something you love.  The Opening Act approaches all of these head on, and I imagine this film was a labor of love from all involved pulled from their very real, raw experiences.    

The Opening Act is a hilarious, entertaining, and highly personal coming of age story with a who's who comedy cast and a touching, universal message.

Watch it.

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The Opening Act will be available in theaters, digitally, and on demand on October 16, 2020.  For additional information about the film and to rent / buy it, check it out at the links below.

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