An American actor in London, specifically in his sixth year as second banana to an old-fashioned music-hall comic. The latter role is hideously well done (by Rowan Atkinson), perhaps because the filmmakers are not far removed from him. The main character, meantime, is much overdrawn ("This is my room. It's kind of a total mess. Sort of like my life"), and his romantic interest, an ambiguous nurse, is underdrawn. The entertainment takes a bit of an upturn when the straight man gets sacked, goes looking for a job, and lands the title role in a musical treatment of The Elephant Man -- more like a gentle upgrade, really, until taking a nosedive on opening night. With Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson; written by Richard Curtis; directed by Mel Smith. (1990) — Duncan Shepherd
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