Tommy Fawkes wants to be a successful comedian. After his Las Vegas debut is a failure, he returns to Blackpool where his father—also a comedian—started, and where he spent the summers of his childhood.
Acting
Jerry Lewis's rare dramatic turn hits harder than expected.
Direction
Chelsom balances slapstick with genuine melancholy.
Director
Peter Chelsom
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jerry Lewis rewrote most of his own dialogue, drawing from his own Vegas failures and estranged relationship with his son.
The Blackpool scenes capture the last gasp of British seaside variety culture before it collapsed entirely in the 2000s.
US
