ep312: Punchline (1988) - HANKSgiving

When does a joke become a dad joke? When the punchline becomes apparent. But that begs the question... When does a punchline become apparent? When the Video Monsters review the movie PUNCHLINE, of course! Apparently, PUNCHLINE (1988) is a film starring Tom Hanks and Sally Field as two as two stand up comedians working the nightclub circuit in New York City. We’re discussing this film today as part of our HANKSGIVING series, where we express our everlasting gratitude for the one and only Tom Hanks by highlighting the Hanks films that we feel are underseen or underappreciated. And we dare say that there are few films in his filmography overlooked as often as this one. Nathan, Eric, and Dan will ponder why most movies about stand up comedians tend to be more dramatic than funny, if the film successfully navigates those tonal shifts within its dual narrative structure, why Hanks’s and Field’s performances hold up so well even if the stand up routines do not, and how the movie explores the idea of comedy as a coping mechanism. So hold on to your poop shoot, do the Sabre Dance, and…. Get ready…. Wait for it….. Here comes the PUNCHLINE. If you enjoyed this episode, come join the Video Monsters crew on Discord!! Hangout episodes are live (and unedited!) every Tuesday night starting around 9:00pm EST. Listen and chat along with us in the Discord chat and we’ll even give you a shoutout on the episode! Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons