Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

The Comeback Trail (2020)

This film is hilarious and heartwarming! Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee  deliver top notch performances you will fall in love with. This film gave me serious Producer vibes as the film takes a very shady and over the top idea of attempting to kill its lead star in order to get his life insurance and then pay back the mob the producers borrowed money from. As I write that it sounds ridiculous because it is but the story works because of the committed performances from the lead stars as well as a fantastic script by George Gallo. 

Firstly, This film was such a blast as it is a film that is a look at the glitz and glam of Hollywood in its heyday but also is able to balance drama and comedy so effectively. The film uses its comedy in such a deadpan and brilliantly timed way and then is able to be self aware and know when to take a break and let the naturally take over the scene. As the films premises already is so dark but humorous and that is where the comedy comers from is its over the top premise you fall in love with. The funny moments arise out of such serious moments and great dry humour that always landed due to the great writing and delivery from its actors. Then you have the dramatic weight that worked brilliantly because their is a good amount of drama and emotion that tugs at your heart strings and one balances the other mixing in a perfect blend of tones that was greatly executed. 

Secondly, Then you have the fantastic performances by Robert De Niro,  Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman who all give truly fantastic work in this film. lets start with Morgan Freeman who dose not have a ton of screen time in the film but for the scenes he does have in the film wow is he great. He plays against the usual type you see him play as Morgan Freeman plays this intimidating gangster that has zero patience for lies and he is incredibly cut throat. His ability to command the scene in intense terrifying intimidation and amazing line delivery makes you unable to take your eyes off of him. Freeman is truly fantastic in this film I only wish he had more screen time as he was a real joy to see in this film. Then you have Tommy Lee Jones who brings this fantastic emotional and hilarious deadpan performance that is honestly one of my favourites he has ever given onscreen. He plays this washed up actor who is very much on a self destructive path due to the fact he has nothing left and his character arc is used at times for great comedic purposes but it also is able to take a serious look at him too. Tommy Lee Jones walks this fine Line between deadpan humour and emotionally gutting moments that have you really feel for him as he delivers a truly magnetic performance you will be smiling all the way through watching. Then you have Robert De Niro who gives this amazing showcase of his comedic abilities once again but its not just a straight through comedy performance. Robert De Niro brings the laughs and when they hit they always made me laugh but he was also able to channel in on this very real and emotional story about sticking to your dreams and it was very touching and their are moments in the film where your heart goes out to him and I would say this is one of Robert De Niro’s best comedic performances since meet the parents and Midnight Run as he also sprinkles great amounts of emotion that packs a big punch. Everyone else is fantastic in the film from Zach Braff and Emile Hirsch who both give great performances also but it is the main three actors that will wrap you into every frame of this film and have you gripped until the end from all of their fantastic performances. 

Lastly, The Comeback Trail is a fantastic film that perfectly balances dark comedy with a touching emotional tone that will have you laughing all the way through but also feeling surprisingly moved all at the same time. George Gallo crafted a fantastic story that for sure has Producer vibes to the film but is very much its own thing in its execution of its story. Added with truly terrific performances from the entire cast this is a film you will want to rewatch the moment it is over. It is funny, heartfelt, well acted and overall a great time to be had The Comeback Trail is a a fantastic fun film that I recommended everyone go see. 

This film centres around two film producers that haven’t had a successful hit film in sometime and when they are on the brink of bankruptcy one of them comes up with a shady plan to make a film and attempt to kill its main star in a stunt on set to get his life insurance so then he can pay back the mob

Rated R : Language Throughout and some violence 

Robert De Niro : Robert De Niro delivers a fun and heartwarming performance that will have you engaged with his energetic performance until the end! Robert De Niro worked  with George Gallo all the way back in the 1980’s on what I consider one of his finest performances ever on Midnight Run and here they collaborate on the Comeback Trail which shows his comedic strengths at full throttle once again. He gave us The War With Grandpa earlier this year which was a very fun family film that I enjoyed. That being said he hasn’t done a comedy that has really shown his comedic strengths at full capacity since the very first Meet The Parents as he has done great comedy films over the years but Midnight Run and Meet The Parents stand out to people because it is also matched wit fantastic writing which is exactly what this film provides for Robert De Niro. Here Robert De Niro plays this down on his luck film Producer that has not had a hit film in quite some time and will scratch and claw at any means to get a hit film on his hands. A large part of Robert’s performance is very drama heavy but what made it so comedic as I mentioned a few times earlier is the comedy arises from the serious moments that the writing makes humorous at parts telling the audience that despite the seriousness of the situation their is a lot of humour to find in it as well and that’s the brilliance of De Niro’s performance. The arc his character goes through is quite interesting because Robert De Niro’s character is very much in an emotional hell for being conflicted in how he should go about realizing his dreams. You can see from the sadness in his eyes and at moments the desperation in his voice that he is hellbent on making his dreams a reality at any coast and De Niro really explores very deep emotional places at times in this film that will genuinely surprise you and when he goes to those emotional depths you can see it in his heart that he is pouring himself out onscreen and then when he pulls it back and goes for a laugh it works because he is able to take the humour from the seriousness of what he is going through and it works because the humour he delivers never once felt forced or cheesy it felt earned. The jokes always landed and he had this dry humour and wit to the approach of the comedy for his character that worked greatly to his benefit and Robert De Niro gives this truly big at times over the top performance that is full of layers and depth. He is able to show some very deep sides to him in this film while also turning up the comedy that blended greatly with the serious emotional aspects of the character. It is truly a fantastic performance that is honestly one of Robert De Niro’s best comedic performances in recent time. 

Tommy Lee Jones : Tommy Lee Jones gives a terrific performance in this film! Tommy Lee Jones takes this character that is very much a loner, lone wolf kind of guy who was big in his heyday and has since then been washed by the wayside. His take on that character is both hilarious and incredibly touching as Tommy Lee Jones has always been an actor to be able to give amazing deadpan humour that always makes the screen crackle when he delivers that side of him which he does again. That being said it is not just Tommy Lee Jones being himself he is able to show the sad person that his character has become overtime and evolved into due to him distancing himself off from Hollywood and the sheer emotional disconnect he has with people is due to him being hurt and the loss in his life. It is very heavy in terms of a character for Tommy and he is able to show both the human in that and also the humour as he can be the quietest person in the room and erupt the room in laughs with a single line that just delivers amazingly well. Then their are times where he is emotionally distraught due to the hurt he has had over the years and you can see it in his eyes this tenderness and softness that starts to open up more and more over the course of the film and we see how terrified he is to be alone and Tommy Lee Jones brings that raw emotion brilliantly to the screen in some of the best acted scenes he has done in a long time. Not only does Tommy Lee Jones go to some very emotionally deep places but also brings that charm and humour we have come to love from him and this is a performance I feel will be overlooked and I hope it isn’t because he is truly terrific in the film. Tommy Lee Jones gives a great mix of heart and humour and results in what I think is one of his best performances in years he is truly outstanding. 

George Gallo : Gallo brings another masterful comedy to the screen once again! George Gallo gave us one of the bet comedies of all time with Midnight Run many years ago. So I know he can write amazing comedy with great drama as well as its been shown so seeing him direct this remake of the Comeback Trail as well as pen the script for it I was so excited to see what he was going to do with this story. Now I have already mentioned how this film has serious Mel Brooks Producers vibes to it but is still able to be its own thing and not rely on other films before it in order to carry its story. The film takes a peak at Hollywood in its heyday and he is able to show yes the glitz and glam of it but also the desperation that people in the industry will go in order to realize their dreams. Now the premise of the film is nuts but George Gallo never lets the comedy be the driving force of the film its definitely a part of the film but it is not the main focus the main focus is a message about realizing your dreams which is a very sweet lesson to walk away with. As well he is able to use great amounts of drama and heavy topics like legacy, aging and just falling on hard times and it never overplays the comedy. Both equally are matched and blend together in this great tale that uses two tones to drive the story in a way that keeps you entertained the whole way through. He also gets great performances out of his entire cast and gives the audience a fun time with heart, humour, great performances and a truly fun story about chasing your dreams with some laugh out loud moments George Gallo once again delivers the goods in a directed and well written film that is a truly fantastically well crafted story with amazing direction.