Shakes the Clown (1991)

Following the exploits of a good-hearted, booze-soaked clown who is trying to make his way in Palookaville, a town populated by denizens of that certain ditch in the entertainment world inhabited by clowns and mimes. He tries to kick the booze but his demons are hard to face. He gets involved in seedy intrigue with the tough, jaded rodeo clowns, picks on the mimes, and tries to avoid the indignity of doing balloon animals, all while keeping the bottle at bay lest he wake up puking into his frightwig. Oh yes, there's a love interest as well. Tasteless? Absolutely. Funny? If you know and love an alcoholic (or a clown), and you can still laugh about it, this movie will send you rolling off the couch and onto the floor in stitches.Bobcat is always happy to degrade himself on screen, and he does it brilliantly here. Shakes is a total mess. A disgusting mess. A shameful mess. Bobcat sells the drunkenness and depravity, whether he's being peed on (Nevermind. You'll see.) or stumbling around in a drunken stupor. Yet he still manages to remain likable and not lose his status as the film's protagonist. My favorite part has to do with the intense hatred the clowns harbor for mimes,(I mean, really, who needs 'em!). The fight scene in the park, with the shout "Learn to Talk", is priceless. The obvious discomfort when Shakes must pose as a mime to avoid arrest is also a blast! I had no idea Bobcat Goldthwait was this creative...Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

I sat down to watch "Shakes the Clown" because Bobcat Goldthwait was in it, and I had no idea that I was in for a movie with this many famous people in it. I had not anticipated that at all.The story is about Shakes, a clown with a love of drinking. He is told to get his act together or his will be fired, when he finds himself framed for a murder.Despite having so many talented names on the cast list, then I was not even remotely entertained by this movie, much less brought to laughs. I really didn't laugh a single time, truth be told.Perhaps I didn't get the symbolism between the alcoholism and the imagery of clowns. But, for me, it just didn't mix well together, much less make for an entertaining movie."Shakes the Clown" wasn't particularly my type of movie, and thus I think the movie is worth a 3 out of 10 stars.

First the only good news about "Shakes the Clown" is that the clown makeup and neon-type lighting provides an interesting setting. Now the bad. Both Adam Sandler and Robin Williams are totally wasted, smothered by Goldthwait's slapstick, gross-out, outrageously non-funny script. Clowns are supposed to be funny, therefore a movie about clowns should be downright hilarious. Well, car chases, puke jokes, drunken clowns, and various other nonsense turns what could have been a ground breaking black comedy into the disaster it is. Do not buy or rent this expecting black comedy similar to the brilliant "Bad Santa", because you will be sadly disappointed. I know I was. - MERK

This movie has it all. Alcoholic clowns. Aunt Esther. Mrs Brady as a clown whore. Kathy Griffin. And all for only $1.4 million.And the best line exchange ever: Owen Cheese: "Hey, you clowns are on dope!" Binky: "You didn't see nothin', you saw five clowns eating a big plate of beef .. white powdery beef."And it features Adam Sandler in his best role, meaning he's better than all he is in all the crappy movies he made after it.A true classic.