This is a that only a small minority of watchers will get. But don't be put off, because you end up being one of those people you will be extremely grateful that you made the effort.I don't believe it crosses the ocean well either, it's sense of comedy is not that which the larger audiences in places like the U.S. seem to understand, and that's not meant as any kind of insult.People watching because they think they are getting a riotous comedy or a slapstick laugh a minute will be in for a confused shock. A friend who watched it with me one time over here (here being the UK) from California asked me at the end "what the hell was that all about?"However those after something different with masterful performances by fine actors creating a sometimes bizarre and yes, sometimes very funny story, that gels together seamlessly to produce an immense feeling of having watched something quite magical, will be in for a treat such as comes around far to seldom in the movie World.Featuring a great mix of music, it's also visually a screenplay par excellence'. Capturing moments from an age now gone from the yesteryear of many an English childhood that are so totally recognisable as to transport you back there like some kind of magical time machine. Perhaps another reason why it works so poorly with audiences from across the pond.It's a real treat, and I hope you are one of the few who gets it, because it's a ride surely worth seeking out.

How did I never hear of Lee Evans before I saw this movie? He is my new idol. When this movie came out, I gave it a miss because of Jerry Lewis (King of Comedy notwithstanding -- he gives me the creeps, man), but I caught it on Sundance the other night and was bowled over. It starts out sorta weird, but then hooks you with the story of this guy trying to be a standup comic in the shadow of his showbiz-legend dad (is there any worse word than "showbiz"? Maybe "node," but other than that, "showbiz" is just such a bad word!!!), and then all of a sudden you are in Blackpool, England, being treated to (a) some amazing vaudeville performers from an era sadly gone by, and (b) some amazing performances by clowny guys (not the creepy kind), and (c) Leslie Caron singing a torch song in a man-tailored shirt, and (d) a beautiful story of lost dreams, redemption, and wax eggs. Rent it, fool. Rent it now if you have a funny bone in your body.

This amazing film won't let you go. I was never a Jerry Lewis fan, but his performance here is extraordinary. The movie is a Pirandellean exploration of the nature of comedy. It works on so many levels--acting, script, cinematography, plot, and of course comedy. The dark secret of humor is that a grin is really a grimace. Oliver Platt is amazing--I hadn't seen him before and will now go to anything he plays in on the basis of the performance. He plays a failed comic son of a famous comic father (Jerry Lewis) exploring the roots of comedy--his own personal family roots, the roots in his home town's vaudeville, and ultimately its roots in the human psyche. I can't tell much more without giving away some of the twists of the roller-coaster of a plot. If you like to think while being entertained, here's a movie for you.

I do have to say from the outset that I really like this film, disjointed though it is, perhaps because it is so different. This is a story of a broken family and hidden secrets - Tommy Fawkes goes to Blackpool, once one of the world's showbiz capitals, to learn how to be funny; once there he finds a duo (played by veteran British comics Freddie Davies and George Carl) who he thinks have stolen his famous dad's act - but are things really as they seem? Jack Parker is a Blackpool born lad with the innate ability to be creatively humorous (Lee Evans is excellent in this role) while lacking in the social skills to survive in the real world.Against this backdrop is something about mysterious eggs which hold some mystical secret or other (giving Oliver Reed yet another strange role as the oddball Dolly). The really interesting aspects of the story are the skeletons in the closet that bring Jack's mother (Leslie Caron) and Tommy's father (Jerry Lewis) together again. The strongest scenes though are the ones which truly shock - the flashback outlining the tragedy that has affected Jack's life, and the final few sequences in the show arena.'Funny Bones' may be hard to fathom but I think it repays attention by giving its audience something a bit unexpected - plus some great performances along the way.