''The Jimmy Show'' is a 2001 drama written and directed by

Frank Whaley Frank Joseph Whaley (born July 20, 1963) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and comedian. His roles include Brett in ''Pulp Fiction'', Robby Krieger in ''The Doors'', young Archie "Moonlight" Graham in ''Field of Dreams'', and Guy ...

, based on the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

play ''Veins and Thumbtacks'' by

Jonathan Marc Sherman Jonathan Marc Sherman (born October 10, 1968) is a contemporary American playwright, poet, and actor. He submitted plays for several years to Young Playwrights Inc.'s National Playwrights Competition before they did a staged reading of his one-a ...

. The film stars Whaley,

Carla Gugino Carla Gugino (; born August 29, 1971) is an American actress. After appearing in ''Troop Beverly Hills'' (1989) and ''This Boy's Life'' (1993), she received recognition for her starring roles as Ingrid Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' trilogy (2001� ...

, and

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

. The film premiered at the 2001

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and also screened at the 2002

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Synopsis

The film centers on the life of Jimmy O'Brien (

), a warehouse clerk by day and a standup comedian by night. He is also a failure as an inventor. He lives with his wife (

), daughter, and a disabled grandmother. Jimmy's aspiration to succeed contrasts sharply with the numbness of his pothead friend Ray (

), who is just trying to get by. When performing, Jimmy contradicts the role of a comedian and instead uses the stand-up form to relate the tragedies in his life, which causes indifferent to hostile reactions from the audience; however, he also provokes members of the audience. Eventually Jimmy is fired from his day job for stealing beer, which he abuses, and his wife leaves him. He winds up working at a Middle-Eastern fast-food restaurant. At the end of the film, Jimmy runs seemingly aimlessly in different directions in what appears to be him either on the verge of nervous breakdown or spiritual awakening.

Cast

as Jimmy O'Brien *

as Annie O'Brien *

as Ray *

Lynn Cohen Lynn Harriette Cohen (née Kay; August 10, 1933 – February 14, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles in film, television and theater. She was especially known for her role as Magda in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', which she ...

as Ruth *Jillian Stacom as Wendy *Spelman M. Beaubrun as Claude *Sheila Kay Davis as Social Worker

Production

The film was shot in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

, the same location used by Frank Whaley in his 1999 drama ''

Joe the King ''Joe the King'' is a 1999 drama film, written and directed by Frank Whaley, based largely on his own childhood and the childhood of his brother. It stars Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Austin Pendleton, Camryn ...

''.

References

External links

* * *
Full movie
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

2001 films 2001 drama films American films based on plays Films directed by Frank Whaley 2001 independent films Films set in New Jersey Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in New York (state) American drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language drama films {{2000s-drama-film-stub