'The Opening Act' follows the story of Will O'Brien, a struggling young stand-up comedian. The film previews the trials and tribulations that Will goes through ranging from his personal to his professional life.
The story opens with a montage showcasing young Will, and depicts the passage of time, including the illness and death of his mother and the bond he develops with his father as they share time together enjoying various stand-up specials.
Now an adult, Will is working nights as a novice comedian, trying to perform wherever and whenever he can, whilst holding down a day job at an insurance company. One day he is presented with the opportunity to go on the road and be the MC and opening act for an iconic comedian, Billy G. This presents a turning point as Will takes the opportunity, quits his day job and embarks on the pursuit of his dreams.
The experience Will has is filled with challenges, as he struggles to adjust and be ready for the life of a comedian. Sharing accommodation with another comedian, Chris Palmer, Will faces many fist experiences. He is invited to a morning radio show to promote the event, however his inexperience with such an affair results in the host berating and belittling Will. Crushed by the experience, Will later goes on to struggle to perform, calling his choices into question. After approaching Billy G, Will's favourite comedian, the two share a bonding moment, with Billy imparting words of wisdom that help Will persist in his pursuit of becoming a comedian.
'The Opening Act' is a well constructed tale of a comedian that showcases the passion and drive Will has towards becoming a stand-up, illustrating the root of his love for the craft through the bond he forms with his father over it and later as he tries to desperately claw his way to a full time career in comedy. Wills journey is filled with taking risks and failing to deliver. However, every event the young man has to go through serves as a learning experience, and we get to witness Will slowly go towards his goal in what he wants to achieve, as he betters his performance and adapts to the life of a comedian.
The film is presented in manner akin to a comedians survival guide. It details numerous experiences from the writer and director of the film, Steve Byrne, himself being a stand-up comedian. The film presents the learning curve the main character has to go through as his initial experiences on the stage are wildly varying in quality and he has to adapt to being on the road. The movie does not lack in a number of strange experiences Will has, most memorably an incident where he is dragged by a drunk woman to her home who makes advances towards Will, who later has to hide from her cop boyfriend coming home. The film also presents the mind-numbing experience Will has during his day-job, presenting his superior as a demanding boss, who is not hard to say goodbye to as Will leaves his job.
The main character Will is portrayed by Jimmy O. Yang, and loosely based on the films director. O. Yang delivers a relatable character, not just in pursuit of becoming a stand-up comedian, but also reflecting any young individual striving towards their desired goals. O. Yang, a comedian himself, successfully conveys the feeling of a real life performer, both in his moments of success and in times of struggle.
Alex Moffat portrays Chris Palmer, a comedian O. Yang's character gets to experience the life on the road with. As the two share accommodation and Moffat's character introduces him to the life and ways of performing, Moffat showcases the side of life a comedian can pursue and live, as a comedian who perhaps does not share the main characters love and devotion towards performing, rather doing it as a means to support a certain lifestyle, that promotes enjoying the nightlife.
Cedric the Entertainer plays Billy G, an iconic comedian that O. Yang's character looks up to. Cedric the Entertainer manages to illustrate the nature of a performer that has spent his career honing his skills and having adapted to the life of a comedian. Displaying someone who has been in the business for some time, Cedric the Entertainer functions as a father figure to O. Yang's Will, imparting words of wisdom and providing moral support to the up-and-coming performer. However, there is a little more nuance to the character, as we see that even legendary comedians can become stagnant in their performances, relying on material from earlier in their career and failing to deliver something new. Even though Billy G is presented as someone relying on old material, we learn that their use of that performance is not purely due to laziness, rather he supports the use of it due to the audience response he receives, delivering the message that Billy G wants to carry on entertaining the audience and gets to do so with the material he has, cementing the message that he does his routine to make the audience happy above all other concerns.
The film also provides a slew of great supporting cast members comprised of real life comedians, including Whitney Cummings, Ken Jeong, Iliza Shlesinger, Neal Brennan, Russel Peters, Bill Burr, Angela Johnson and Tom Segura. The film is not bogged down with forcing the comedians with trying to out-do one another, rather their performances act as a great conduit in accentuating the real-life situations that can turn on their head on a dime.
'The Opening Act' does well in portraying Wills progression in stand-up, as he works on his material and adapts to the demands of being a comedian, working the crowd and being flexible in adjusting his performance to deliver a positive and enjoyable show. The film works great in showcasing the struggle that a comedian has to go through, as it demands the individual to assess what he wants in order to decide if being a comedian is truly their passion and main goal in life. Truly an insightful and worth-wile watch, 'The Opening Act' is an amazing prelude to that which may precede a successful career in comedy.
Score: 3/4
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