I can easily see why THE COMIC failed to find mainstream success in 1969. I don't think it would find it if it was released NOW. Billy Bright is a 100% unlikable protagonist who never realizes he is the author of his own misery and loneliness. He takes his friends and loved ones for granted, and yet decries them as selfish, even beyond the grave.
And yet Bright's tragedy is made mesmerizing by Dick Van Dyke's performance. Van Dyke mixes charisma, sleaze, and delusion, making Bright feel so authentic. I bet Hollywood has plenty of Billy Brights living there today. Perhaps he is always with us.
Visually, THE COMIC is unexceptional: overlit and shot like a TV movie. The story structure is uneven and lumpy, losing some steam in the second half. However, there's much to recommend and the final scene is one for the ages, up there with CITY LIGHTS and The 400 BLOWS.
And yet Bright's tragedy is made mesmerizing by Dick Van Dyke's performance. Van Dyke mixes charisma, sleaze, and delusion, making Bright feel so authentic. I bet Hollywood has plenty of Billy Brights living there today. Perhaps he is always with us.
Visually, THE COMIC is unexceptional: overlit and shot like a TV movie. The story structure is uneven and lumpy, losing some steam in the second half. However, there's much to recommend and the final scene is one for the ages, up there with CITY LIGHTS and The 400 BLOWS.