Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

waltermwilliams Having seen this movie twice says a lot about how good this Aussie comedy flick is, because life's too short to watch bad movies repeatedly...especially when there's so many to choose from. Carl Barron's story is one a lot of performers can relate to. In this movie the hero speaks to thousands nightly on stage or TV, but doesn't cope as well in one on one situations whether it's with his dad, the local Bar man his manager or girls. Like his apartment it makes you happy when u c Sydney Harbour or sad when u c the city.

ejamessnyder Manny Lewis is fun little movie with a simple plot that is easy to follow. The story is nothing new, and follows a successful comedian who wants to meet a woman, and then he meets a woman and some things happen. There are bits of comedy and bits of drama, some happy moments and some sad moments.There's not much in the way of side plots, and the story at times seems overly simplistic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The story flows quickly from one scene to the next, with nothing added to pad out the running time. We want to know what happens next and we don't have to wait. The main character is the focus of almost every single scene, which keeps things flowing nicely. The film is short and fun and not too long. And although it is pretty predictable, it is still very enjoyable.Additionally, it was very nice to see Carl Barron in an acting role. I'm a big fan of his stand-up work, so it was a real treat to watch him in a film. He's actually a pretty decent actor. The film incorporates much of the comedian's work into it, showing him performing onstage. I probably would have rated this film a full star lower if it had featured any other actor in the lead role (if I had even watched it at all) but thankfully it does not.

a-allada Sure it's a predictable Romantic Comedy, but it felt less contrived and more real, especially the first half. It's no Hollywood blockbuster but was such a joy to watch and seemed more authentic. Until the usual rom-com ending but that's always expected so it wasn't so bad. Also, in a way, it was a bit deeper than I expected as it touched on that everyday dreary misery and loneliness and how the cycle can be played out in normal situations. Also on past hurts and how that can create a twist in us, especially when things aren't going are way. Although these weren't heavily explored it definitely added depth to the characters and allowed me to connect with them so much more than i expected. Carl's acting is great and the humour isn't over the top. The leading lady was gorgeous but also played perfectly and not exaggerated and exhausting, but just quirky and simple and although there was no backstory to her, there was enough to care for her character. The music was also great with a favourite of mine by husky in there. Short and sweet, it leaves you with a smile!

Likes_Ninjas90 Ten years ago I watched an Australian film called The Extra, which starred Irish comedian Jimeoin. I wondered at the time how he made such a terrible film and concluded it was the poor script. My childhood trauma was over and I'd never have to watch it again. Forwarding to the present day and some things have changed but others clearly not enough. At a recent screening my worst fears were again realised. It was the ghost of The Extra but now called Manny Lewis: a staggeringly unfunny Australian film made by people thinking they're hilarious. Sadly, the partnership between the director Anthony Mir, a former comedian himself, and funny man Carl Barron in the title role, is disastrous from start to finish.The film typifies the problems of the Australian film industry we've spoken about for years: the script is awful and underdeveloped and the film itself is generally lacking ambition. Nor is the premise funny or suitable for a comedy. Manny Lewis is a depressed comedian, tired of fame and living a lonesome existence. His mum has died and his relationship with his father (Roy Billing), who beat him as a child, is still unresolved. Take a moment to catch your breath from too much laughter. One night Manny makes a phone call to an erotic fantasy line where under a fake name of 'Tomaz' and he discusses his problems to Maria (Leeanna Walsman), who calls herself 'Caroline'.Due to sizable coincidences, get used to them, Maria sees Manny on television and realises who he is. By another chance encounter, she meets Manny randomly in person and they date. Manny doesn't know it's the same woman and she uses this anonymity to ask what he thinks about their dates whenever he rings the erotic hotline. Yes, he connects to the same woman every time. Meanwhile, Manny's long term manager and friend (Damien Garvey) is arranging for him to be contracted to an American company visiting Australia. Do they know what they're in for? What happened to comedians touring and performing gigs?Manny Lewis isn't satisfied by comedy alone, what a mistake, but values itself very highly as a melodrama. It wants us to feel or an unlikable jerk, who is as charming as a dirty sock. Manny is whiny, precious about his lifestyle, despite having an apartment overlooking the city, and still burdened by childhood issues. It's embarrassing for Barron, a fifty year old middle-aged man, to be playing someone still hampered by his dad hitting him and holding his head under water. Has he ever watched The Extra?The film's approach to self-loathing isn't hilarious and self-deprecating like the Paul Giamatti film Sideways. It's annoying and self-important when approached dourly through endless scenes and frames of Manny looking downwards in his luxury apartment. Who thought these first world problems of a middle aged man would be hilarious or worse, touching? What the writers call "complexity" amounts to further irritation: Manny complains about being alone but whinges over his girlfriend's small habits. He doesn't deserve her, which isn't fitting for a romantic comedy. Casting Barron as a romantic lead was fatal because, without being mean, he's not likable, handsome or funny in this particular role.At less than ninety minutes there are no laughs or fun to be had and too many boring, undernourished scenes lacking humour or drama. One riveting example of the characters sitting around politely is when Manny teaches Maria his method of eating a biscuit. The coincidences mentioned in the plot are also clumsy and improbable and compounded by the volume of clichés. At least there's no airport scene where Manny races to stop his girlfriend leaving. Instead, she's departing on a boat and its leaving tonight! Unbelievably, this coincides with Manny's childhood fear of water.Despite funding from Channel 7, Manny Lewis is made without much skill. The opening shot is promising, using a winding tracking shot to follow Manny and the individual frames aren't ugly. However, the remaining camera-work is static and flat and the audio design is lazy: the roaring laughter of Manny's stand-up audience off-screen is clearly canned laughter and pasted over the film. Typifying the lack of flare and the unimaginative direction is a cheesy montage scene after an argument between the film's couple.The only pleasant thing about the film is the pleasant face of Leeanna Walsman, who deserves a film not juvenile enough to think the only female in the movie will fix all his problems. Judging by the audibly depressed sighs and noises at the media screening (one elderly fellow sounded as though he was verging on an asthma attack) I wasn't solely dismayed by this film. According to the production notes, Barron and Mir went to Italy to write the script and indulged in fine dining. If they had worked on the script without these distractions the movie might have been watchable. As it stands, Manny Lewis doesn't deserve your time, only the Vaudeville hook.