Punchline

Comedic Introduction by Negin Farsad

1988. 128 m. David Seltzer. Sony Releasing (SPR). US. English. Rated R.

Series

Meet Steven, a doctor with a severe case of comedy fever, and Lilah, a struggling housewife dreaming of life in the spotlight. Their camaraderie builds on a shared love of comedic timing and one-liners which sets up a complicated “will they/won’t they” romantic entanglement. But instead of delivering a conventional romantic comedy, Punchline challenges traditional gender roles, letting Lilah create her own happy ending. In career-defining roles for Tom Hanks and Sally Field (who received an Oscar nomination), Punchline explores the cutthroat world of comedy clubs, and the emotional struggles and sacrifices comedians face in pursuit of their dreams.

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Bold, sneaky, brilliant Punchline works its change-ups unmercifully. I can't remember laughing this much with tears still streaming down my face, or beginning to weep while my sides still ached from laughing
Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times

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Comedic Introduction by Negin Farsad

Monday, Apr. 29 2024, 7:00

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Negin Farsad is a TEDFellow and gave a TEDTalk on social justice comedy seen by millions. She is a regular on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk. She is the author of the Thurber Prize-nominated How to Make White People Laugh and the host of the podcast Fake the Nation. You can see her on HBO’s High Maintenance, Hulu’s Not Okay, and she stars on HBOMax’s Birdgirl. She’s also a gutsy woman on Hillary Clinton’s Gutsy series for Apple TV+. Farsad has written for the Guardian, Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times. She is also the director of feature films The Muslims Are Coming! and 3rd Street Blackout (available on Peacock). She once sued the MTA for the right to put up funny posters about Muslims and won.