SNACK at The Glasgow Film Festival 2020

Standing Up, Falling Down

This easy-going comedy drama looks at the life of 30-something struggling stand-up comedian Scott (Ben Schwartz) who returns to his hometown in Long Island, New York after his career in Los Angeles stalls. While somewhat reliving his past, he meets old-timer, wise-cracking Marty (the best that Billy Crystal has been in years) during a drunken bathroom chat and the two spark up an unlikely friendship. On surface the film is overly quaint, but it just goes to show you what a charming cast and a thoughtful, witty script can do. Director Matt Ratner walks a fine line between maintaining a likeable vibe and digging his fingers just enough under the surface of his characters lives to allow the film to actually say something. It comforts with a blanket of affable buddy comedy tropes before sneaking up on you with moments of quiet truthfulness with lines like, ‘regret is the only thing that’s real.’ It’s not exactly reinventing the comedy-drama wheel but it’s nevertheless a funny and surprisingly affecting wee film.