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| Image courtesy of Roadside Attractions |
Hollywood spoofs seem to have become a tired genre of film. Recent attempts to satirize the movie business rely on tired tropes and a hapless protagonist that’s pitted against the narcissistic, the sociopathic, and the greedy in a parade of one Hollywood stereotype after another.
Charlie Day attempted a Hollywood spoof with Fool’s Paradise (2023) by adding something unexpected: the revival of an antique form of comedy. Day seems to takeinspiration from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, which replaces Chaplin’s Jewish barber who revives from a coma during Nazi occupation of Europe with a nearly mute man released into Hollywood. It’s a loving tribute to Chaplin’s brand of humor that is ultimately undercut by a tired script.
In Paradise, Day’s nameless protagonist is released from a mental health facility due to overcrowding and underfunding. He soon crosses paths with a Hollywood producer (Ray Liotta), looking for a replacement for an actor holding up the production of a Western. Since Day’s character is doppelganger for the obnoxious actor, the producer pulls him in. In the ensuing chaos, Day’s character gets dubbed Latte Pronte, thanks to an oft-yelled phrase by Liota’s producer.
And what follows is the usual rags to riches to rags again story of fame in Hollywood. An endless stream of comedians make appearances in various roles that represent their actual typecast selves: Kate Beckinsale and Adrian Brody as an insufferable actors, Ken Jeong as a wannabe agent, and Jason Bateman as an obnoxious sound tech. All of these talents feel underused and their characters under baked caricatures.
Day, however, nails the slapstick habits of his character and doesn’t overuse them, which becomes a loving homage to Chaplin. The mute Latte becomes the main reason to watch. The film easily becomes a sort of ‘Spot the Cast of It’s Always Sunny’ with nearly all the main and supporting players making cameos throughout the film. Had the other characters in Paradise been as endearing as Latte, this comedy could have changed the direction of Hollywood spoofs into being funny and engaging again.
Fool’s Paradise is currently streaming on Hulu.
- EB