For reference, I think It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the funniest show ever made. And I think the character Charlie Kelly played by Charlie Day is one of the funniest characters in TV or movie history. I was ecstatic to see him have a chance to write, direct and star in a theatrically released movie with a great cast.
There's so much about Fool's Paradise I enjoyed. The premise is instantly funny. Charlie Day's performance had me cracking up. Many other parts had me full-volume laughing, especially when it relates to Adrien Brody's character. I loved seeing many of the Always Sunny cast members with random small roles.
There are a few things that, for me, prevent it from being great. The first half of the movie is infinitely funnier than the second half, which had almost no laughs from me. And while I enjoyed the humorous parts, the more serious parts and character moments didn't work for me.
But the biggest issue is that Ken Jeong, who is seemingly the lead of this movie, didn't make me laugh at all. I've found him fairly funny in most of his smaller roles. But it doesn't seem like he can carry a movie.
I still had a good time with Fool's Paradise. I hope it allows Charlie Day more opportunities to create comedy, especially in an age when comedy movies seem to be nearing extinction. I will watch anything he's in. (1 viewing, 5/11/2023)
Plot summary
Fool's Paradise is a satirical comedy following a down-on-his-luck publicist (Ken Jeong),who gets his lucky break when he discovers a man recently released from a mental health facility (Day) looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer. With the help of a powerful producer (the late Ray Liotta),Ken helps the man become a huge star, even marrying his beautiful leading lady (Kate Beckinsale). Their adventures lead them to cross paths with drunken costars (Adrien Brody),irreverent unhoused action heroes (Common),unpredictable directors (Jason Sudeikis),a super-agent (Edie Falco),and power-mad moguls (John Malkovich). Fame and fortune are not all they are cracked up to be, and the two men must fight their way back to the things that matter the most.—Deadline Hollywood
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
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Enjoyable
Gets old fast
The movie starts with the potentially funny, but not original premise of a very simple person navigating the world and stumbling into various outrageously fantastic situations. Think "Forest Gump" or "Being There". But this movie goes nowhere quickly. The main character gives the exact same childlike, mute performance throughout the movie. The idea that anyone can attain such attention and fame without ever uttering a word quickly becomes unbelievable and certainly not funny. At first the movie is about the bizarre world of the movie industry and all it's oddities but after they run out of cliches to exploit, they move on to political and corporate plot scenarios. This is where the movie gets old fast. The movie just seems to come to an end with no plot climax whatsoever. It's a shame since Charlie Day is very talented. But it doesn't show here.
I love Charlie day but this was not it.
Just to be clear Charlie Day is among my favourite comedic actors ever, IASIP is a masterpiece. For that reason I had extremely high hopes for Fool' Paradise, however my rating of 7 is generous. Fool's paradise slightly misses the mark with concept, does not have enough laughs (most coming from Adrien Brody) and it felt clear that the ending was written years after the body of the script. Charlie Day was funny but not nearly expressive enough for a silent character, 90% of the time he was showing just confusion. This film was carried by an amazing cast who all delivered excellent performances and Charlie Day's direction which was smooth and shows clear potential. Overall it was a lacking script but I 1000% would watch another film written and directed by Charlie Day as there were obvious signs of potential.