Supposedly loosely based on Buster Keaton's life, The Comic doesn't really have as much to do with him as you might think. It skips over his childhood and start in vaudeville, his schtick is exaggerated facial expressions rather than a "great stone face", it makes you think he never made a talking picture, and it doesn't feature his third and final marriage. However, it is about a silent movie comedian who married an actress, had a signature hat, directed his own pictures, had a drinking problem, and made a comeback with television talk shows and advertisements. On a basic level, you can see the similarities, but by admitting that the basis is only "loose", audiences should not take it as a biography.
Sprinkled into the story are obvious throwbacks to other silent era comedians, like Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and even a nod to John Barrymore's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In one of the featured pictures, the love interest is a blind girl, like in City Lights. I can only imagine Dick Van Dyke had a blast making this movie, paying tribute to his early heroes, and mugging around in short comedy sketches that utilize his famous goofy facial expressions. However, this isn't your typical Van Dyke comedy written and directed by Carl Reiner. The film is set during Dick's funeral, and as he narrates and gives bitter commentary of the attendants, we see some flashbacks of his life. In the first flashback, we see him trying on different wigs to dress up as a clown. The dramatic-silly dichotomy is a little jarring at times, since it might seem like the movie doesn't know what genre it wants to fit into.
For me, the best scene in the movie was when Dick made a television appearance on Steve Allen's talk show. He's older, a has-been, desperate, but trying to retain dignity and screen presence in front of millions of television viewers. You can really see his impersonation of Buster Keaton: his gravelly voice, thinning hair, bobbing head, the cadence of his speech, and even the way he holds his mouth. I've seen Buster's tv appearances, and they're a great match.
You'll see some old timers in the supporting cast mixed in with newcomers like Michele Lee, playing Dick's first wife: Cornel Wilde, Mickey Rooney, and even Jerome Cowan (I always appreciate seeing him even if it's only for a few seconds, and in his last movie.) If you're a Keaton fan, you might not like this movie since it's not a strict biography. But if you're a Van Dyke fan and want to see a gradual transition from comedy to drama (before you dive into heavy flicks like The Country Girl or The Morning After), you can check it out. Just get past the clown scene and it'll get better.
Sprinkled into the story are obvious throwbacks to other silent era comedians, like Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and even a nod to John Barrymore's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In one of the featured pictures, the love interest is a blind girl, like in City Lights. I can only imagine Dick Van Dyke had a blast making this movie, paying tribute to his early heroes, and mugging around in short comedy sketches that utilize his famous goofy facial expressions. However, this isn't your typical Van Dyke comedy written and directed by Carl Reiner. The film is set during Dick's funeral, and as he narrates and gives bitter commentary of the attendants, we see some flashbacks of his life. In the first flashback, we see him trying on different wigs to dress up as a clown. The dramatic-silly dichotomy is a little jarring at times, since it might seem like the movie doesn't know what genre it wants to fit into.
For me, the best scene in the movie was when Dick made a television appearance on Steve Allen's talk show. He's older, a has-been, desperate, but trying to retain dignity and screen presence in front of millions of television viewers. You can really see his impersonation of Buster Keaton: his gravelly voice, thinning hair, bobbing head, the cadence of his speech, and even the way he holds his mouth. I've seen Buster's tv appearances, and they're a great match.
You'll see some old timers in the supporting cast mixed in with newcomers like Michele Lee, playing Dick's first wife: Cornel Wilde, Mickey Rooney, and even Jerome Cowan (I always appreciate seeing him even if it's only for a few seconds, and in his last movie.) If you're a Keaton fan, you might not like this movie since it's not a strict biography. But if you're a Van Dyke fan and want to see a gradual transition from comedy to drama (before you dive into heavy flicks like The Country Girl or The Morning After), you can check it out. Just get past the clown scene and it'll get better.