I Used to Be Funny (2023) Review!!

Synopsis – Sam, a stand-up comedian struggling with PTSD, weighs whether or not to join the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.

My Take – Indeed, Rachel Sennott is on a hot streak and hopefully it won’t be ending anytime soon.

The charismatic stand-up comedian and actress, who rose to prominence with her starring roles in films like the TIFF breakout Shiva Baby (2020), the Gen Z horror Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and the queer high-school comedy Bottoms (2023), the last of which also served as her screenwriting debut, Sennott has already made an exciting name for herself in just a few short years.

Particularly for her talent for terrifically balancing both humor and the serious bits. While also proving to be a talent who has the capability to put a fresh spin on even the most rote material, as obvious from her scenes in the widely panned and short-lived HBO series, The Idol.

Something which comes very handy in her latest lead role in this the feature debut from the Canadian writer-director Ally Pankiw, an ambitious comedy drama that tries to combine Sennott’s proven comedic chops with a trauma plot in the format of a slow burn thriller.

Working mostly as a decent character study that competently explores trauma and recovery, and how they affect the relationships and communities that shape us, the film has a lot to juggle, as the tone mostly shift abruptly and isn’t exactly subtle with the themes it raises along the way, depending on which part of the story is the current focus.

Yet, using humor as a framework, it ends up telling a poignant story of reconciliation and shows the promise and confidence of a thoughtful feature debut with plenty to say. Also, undoubtedly, it is Sennot’s excellent performance that anchors the film, becoming yet another significant entry into her growing credentials.

Set in Toronto, the story follows Sam Cowell (Rachel Sennott), a stand-up comedian who used to work as an au pair, watching over blossoming teenager Brooke Renner (Olga Petsa) for two years. Brooke’s mother was in losing a battle with a terminal illness, and her father, Cameron (Jason Jones) needed help. However, Sam is no longer working there, and Brooke has gone missing after briefly showing up at Sam’s house for an angry confrontation while under the influence.

As Sam tries to decide whether to join in the search to find Brooke, her debilitating PTSD renders her unable to get on stage and tell jokes, or to deal with her relationship with her boyfriend, Noah (Ennis Esmer), despite unfaltering support from her roommates and best friends, Philip (Caleb Hearon) and Page (Sabrina Jalees). As Sam gets triggered by the situation with Brooke, she must decide whether to try to find a way to move forward.

The division between Sam’s concern for Brooke’s well-being, and her own lack of energy towards an attempt to locate her, drives the central conflict of the film. All the while, screenplay unearths painful memories from the past that haunt her journey to recovery. It’s better left unsaid what exactly happened to Sam, though most viewers (like myself) will be able to piece it together pretty quickly.

The film goes a long way to obfuscate the events of the past by cutting back and forth between time frames, but there are only so many places it could go.

Nevertheless, writer-director Ally Pankiw ensures the scene where we conclusively discover what happened to Sam is difficult to watch. Thankfully, Sam’s two best friends and fellow comedians, Philip and Page, provide the narrative with some much-needed support and comic relief.

The scenes with the three of them together are the funniest in the film and also some of the sweetest. An early dinner scene in which they’re all together flows like they have been friends their whole lives. It’s a shame, however, that the film feels a little uneven overall.

As director Pankiw juggles the timelines respectably, but the back-and-forth seems off sometimes, as it can be difficult to tell which timeline we are in. Some elements of the film at times, lean too hard into melodrama that lacks actual substance, especially in the vague and slow moving first third of the film.

Also the budding Sam-Brooke relationship ends abruptly, when it feels like it had only just started. Sam’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Noah, a supportive guy and good listener, is complex, but largely unexplored.

He wants nothing more than to be there for Sam, even after she kicked him to the curb a year ago. But she doesn’t know how to have him in her life because he was there at the time of the assault and is a constant reminder of her trauma.

Ultimately, the film is Rachel Sennott’s show and she carries it with the confidence of a seasoned performer. There’s no doubt that she’s a comedic actor in her heart and soul, but it’s often the funniest performers who can reach the depth required for a role like Sam. Sennott still gets to be funny, but it’s a quiet humor that we haven’t fully seen her explore yet.

In addition to Sennott’s turn, Olga Petsa gives a breakthrough dramatic performance as the missing teen girl Brooke. Sabrina Jalees and Caleb Hearon provide the narrative with a great sense of humor. Ennis Esmer, Dani Kind and Jason Jones are effective. On the whole, ‘I Used to Be Funny’ is a decently affecting and compelling comedy drama anchored by a superb Rachel Sennott.