FilmSnobReviews

Title: Derek is Funny
MPAA Rating: N/A
Director: Reid Arnstein
Starring: Duke Williams, Joshua Radford, Tatiana Watson
Runtime:  1 hr 31 mins

What It Is: Derek (Duke Williams) is a writer for a late-night show comedian on tv. However, none of his jokes are being used on the show due to the jokes having too much “edge.” By the chance of fate, a stranger films Derek on a subway train making some jokes, for a homeless man, and he goes viral on the internet. Derek, with his newly found platform, must choose where his comedy career will go and if it is more than just a job.

What We Think?: The film as a whole gives off a “student-film vibe.” You can tell that the creator of this film really tried their very best to make something of quality. Though unfortunately, that did not happen. There are a lot of issues with this movie, such as poor acting, bad sound quality, editing issues, and no meat and potatoes in the storyline. The acting reminds me of a high school play. The actors seem like they either do not want to be there or just have no real direction on how to act. It is hard enough to watch a movie with poor acting, but it is worse when you can barely hear or understand what the actors are saying. The music is either too overpowering, the audio of the actors is muffled, or we can assume there was apparently no boom mic at all. The poor sound quality really takes away from the storyline, which is a huge problem when most of the plot is dialogue heavy due to the fact that it is about a comedian and his jokes–– jokes which the audience can’t even hear. On top of this, the film’s storyline is so mundane it is easy to drift off. The story concept itself is not half bad, but when most of the scenes in this film are filler, it is easy to forget what the movie is actually about. Many of the scenes could be chopped or removed entirely, and the plot would still be conveyed. This movie would be better as a short film than as a full-length feature.

Grade: D, When the majority of your film focuses around the life of a comedian and his jokes and your viewers cannot even hear; let alone enjoy the entire punchline due to a variety of cuts and montages–– it is very easy not to enjoy this film. Poor acting, audio, and jokes result in a very forgettable and bland movie. Let’s just face it: Derek isn’t funny.