In theaters now.
[Rating: Solid Rock Fist Up]
The thought that someday in my lifetime some of my favorite funny people will no longer be here to make the world laugh just seems unthinkable to me. Funnyman Billy Crystal explores this topic of moving on in his new film Here Today (he directs too) in which his character Charlie Berns, a funnyman himself, is slowly losing his memory and needs to write that one last story before every good memory goes away forever. This lighthearted comedy is in a string of films like this year’s The Father in which some of our favorite actors talk about memory loss, and for a fan of Crystal like myself, it is a hard and sad topic to think about.
Charlie Berns is a veteran comedy writer for an SNL-esque late night show where all of his peers are half his age and his brand of comedy is still written off of a type-writer. After winning a chance to lunch with Charlie, singer Emma Payge (Tiffany Haddish) befriend him, and after their lunch date goes awry, comedy ensues and Charlie ensures Emma gets home okay without any further incident. Charlie and Emma become fast friends as Emma learns about who Charlie was in his younger days: a famous writer with a hit movie soon to be celebrating its anniversary. However, at an anniversary interview, Charlie soons begins a downward spiral in remembering events of his life and who he even is. This inspires Emma to help Charlie remember his memories and write them on paper, much to the chagrin of his children Francine (Laura Benanti) and Rex (Penn Badgley) who think Emma is up to something. However, it is obvious that Emma is here to help Charlie through his health issues and make sure his story about his one true love is written on paper to keep at least one good memory alive.
The title of this film, Here Today fits well with this theme. While his memories are here today, they can be gone tomorrow and Charlie will never have written the story of how he fell in love with his wife. As for the film itself, fans of mine will know I am all for a good film about memory loss because of how close to home it hits me. Here Today is a satisfying film that provided a lot of laughs between its two leads, and plenty of heart with Crystal’s character and the many regrets he shares with Haddish. The film is a tad long and there’s nothing that impressive with the directing choices, because for this film, it’s all about its actors and their performances, which is fine to me! The thought of Billy Crystal one day not being here crossed my mind watching this, and actually made me tear up a bit.
Overall, Here Today is a lovely film that celebrates one of the funniest actors and gut punches its viewers who are fans. This is a romantic film in a platonic way as it celebrates the love of life and the love of memory, something we all have and all reflect on throughout our lives.
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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