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Mr. Charlie Berns, played by Billy Crystal, is a writer who is so well known for his sense of humor that when his behavior is a little off, everyone assumes it is the result of him doing something funny. Berns becomes disoriented while on stage with actors Barry Levinson, Sharon Stone, and Kevin Kline, who are all portraying themselves as stars of a fictitious Berns-scripted film classic that is celebrating its anniversary. Berns also loses track of the names of the other people on the panel. The audience claps their hands in appreciation; what a rip-off! “I’m Meryl Streep,” Stone reminds him, with a good-natured smirk. Yet another chuckle. That Charlie, though!
It does not go down well with Charlie’s daughter Francine (Broadway star Laura Benanti). Because he has not responded to her invitation to her daughter’s bat mitzvah, she assumes he is either drunk or does not care enough about her to do so. And his coworkers at a late-night sketch comedy show in the vein of “Saturday Night Live” simply regard his insistence on using a typewriter rather than a computer as a quirky eccentricity.
Charlie, on the other hand, is in the early stages of dementia. He is lonely, and he is also afraid of something. In order to maintain his sense of routine while walking to work and reciting “Turn left at the stop sign,” he relies on two things: Charlie’s sense of humor and the one constant in his life: Charlie’s ability to make him laugh. He may not be able to come up with original sketch ideas, but he can identify the flaws in other people’s ideas and help them to become stronger, and he can also recognize the potential in a shy new writer who only needs a little encouragement. Having one’s identity, memories, and ability to think quickly and witty comebacks taken away from one does not make one amusing. As a result, the only person who is aware of what is going on is his doctor (Anna Deavere Smith, every bit the warm, dedicated health care professional we all wish for).
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An auction for a lunch with Charlie was held at a charity fundraiser, and Charlie is looking forward to spending time with the person who was interested enough to place a bid on him. However, the person who arrives is Emma (Tiffany Haddish), who has no idea who he is and has no intention of helping him. She’s only there to get even with her ex, who was the one who bid only $22 to meet Charlie in the first place. Then there’s the order of a massive seafood platter, which immediately results in a severe allergic reaction requiring an emergency trip to the emergency room. Emma promises to reimburse Charlie for everything he has paid for. Charlie pays for everything. However, as time passes and they continue to see each other, they develop a strong bond. Emma is able to see Charlie’s struggle because she has no preconceived notions about who he is. As well, being with someone who is aware of the truth assists Charlie in coming to terms with it and resolving some issues with his family (the story of how his son was given the name “Rex” is particularly amusing).
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Crystal largely avoids the pitfalls of a film about friends who are of different races in the first place. It should be noted that Emma is not a Magical Negro, and that Charlie is not a White Savior. They are not there to share important life lessons with one another or to assist one another in overcoming obstacles. They are just nice people who get along with one another. The easy chemistry between the characters reflects the real-life friendship between the two stars, and it is clear that, like Emma and Charlie, Haddish and Crystal enjoy spending time with one another. Indeed, they are having so much fun with each other that Crystal, the director, was hesitant to cut their scenes, which caused the pacing to be slowed significantly. It would work better if the film had a shorter running time and some scenes were included as DVD extras. In the parts of the movie where we are supposed to see how funny Charlie is, this is a particular issue to be concerned about. The material for the sketch comedy show in the film is not nearly as amusing as the film requires it to be in order to be successful.
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Crystal collaborated with Alan Zweibel, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer who also co-wrote “North,” a film based on Zweibel’s book that earned Roger Ebert’s legendary review: “I hated hated hated hated this movie.” Crystal also wrote the screenplay for “North.” No one would ever say something like that about this film. I really enjoyed it, but I wish they’d had someone with Charlie’s writing skills to help them polish the script.
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For more personality quizzes check this: Voyagers Quiz.
