MOVIE · 1983
Cracking Up
Comedy89 min
After botching a suicide attempt, Warren Nefron (Jerry Lewis) goes to a psychiatrist, hoping someone can explain why every ordinary moment in his life collapses into chaos. The sessions open into comic flashbacks and sketch-like digressions, with Lewis cycling through a whole lineup of characters, including a six-year-old boy, a 15th-century coachman, a sheriff, and a bearded guru, as Warren’s childhood, family history, and everyday disasters come spilling out. Directed by Lewis, the film is structured around blackout gags, slapstick set pieces, and rapid-fire caricatures, with Milton Berle and Sammy Davis Jr. among the faces that appear along the way.
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