Comedy Cures The Movie? – Humor Health News

Being an avid follower of the My Hyena website I’m sure you know by now that we do our best to promote the healing power of humor. And, i’m sure you realize by now that whenever this notion gets any type of recognition through the media we do our best to share that with you. Today, however, I present to you a news article I ran across concerning a movie that is based upon this idea that laughter is the best medicine.

Well, kind of….

By Larry Muhammad
lmuhammad@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

 

How’s this for a movie?

A comedian whose act cures cancer but can’t get an audience because his jokes stink.

“We were sitting around talking after a show, getting serious about what we do and what it means,” said Will Hardesty, a Comedy Caravan regular, “and somebody says, ‘Relax. We’re just telling jokes. It’s not like we’re curing cancer.’

“And then I thought, ‘What if we were? What if you were really bad at comedy, still cured cancer but nobody could get past the idea that the jokes were so bad?’ ”

“It sounded like an excellent idea for a short film,” said Adam Greenwood, a screenwriter who also works at the comedy club doing impersonations.

The two Louisvillians wrote a script, e-mailed it to director Brandon Smith and cinematographer Daniel Colmenares — and voilá! “The Worst Medicine,” a 20-minute film, went into production.

To promote the film being shot in Louisville, Hardesty and Greenwood, who are also the stars, are headlining a show April 10 at the Comedy Caravan. The event also will feature other comics in the movie, including the Nashville-based crack-up artist Tim Northern, a finalist on CBS’ “Star Search” in 2003; and Marty Pollio, a standup virtuoso who has appeared in concerts with Ray Charles, Jay Leno and Robin Williams.

“Proceeds from the show help defray the cost of doing the film,” said Hardesty, who has appeared at The Punchline in Atlanta and L.A.’s Laugh Factory. “Everybody’s chipping in, raising money for equipment and the crew.”

The Venezuelan-born Colmenares, who shot the award-winning 48-Hour Film Project movie “The Flow” based on Greenwood’s script, said, “They’ll all be at Comedy Caravan doing their routines, and basically it’s a good way to stir up some interest in the film, so people can see the talent that’s going to be showcased.”

Other characters in “The Worst Medicine” are Joe Dutkiewitz as Sydney Greenblatt, a shifty talent agent, and Candace Lawrence as Nancy Chester, organizer of an American Cancer Society telethon.

In real life, laughter is medicinal, proved in clinical studies to relieve symptoms in cancer patients and improve their quality of life.

But “The Worst Medicine,” about a comedically challenged performer, won’t unduly subject moviegoers to unbearable, chemo-grade lame jokes and terrible impersonations.

The film tells the story of Bobby D (Hardesty), the unfunny comedian whose act cures cancer, and his rival, Dicky Bananas (Greenwood), whose acts causes cancer but nobody cares because he’s hilarious. Meanwhile, Bobby’s agent, Greenblatt, is angling to exploit his curative powers and make him a star when all Bobby wants is the respect and acceptance of his peers.

“The Worst Medicine” is the second joint endeavor from Greenwood and Colmenares, who did the crime short “The Flow,” last year’s winner for Best Editing and Best Prop in Louisville’s 48-Hour Film Project. The nationwide contest gives filmmakers 48 hours to write, shoot and edit their own movies.

“These guys are good,” said Colmenares, who makes shorts and documentaries through his video company, Mercury Productions. “We’re shooting it in April and planning for a premiere in July.”

“Then we’re going to shop it around to film festivals,” Hardesty said.

Greenwood, who also co-wrote “Team Switchblades,” a film about an army of killer robots that is now in production in Los Angeles, said of “The Worst Medicine,” “We all have passion for this because it’s such a funny script, and of course, because we all want to be rich and famous — primarily rich.”

Reporter Larry Muhammad can be reached at (502) 582-7091.

—————————

This article was found on the Courier Journal website. Please checkout the following link for the original article: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070331&Category=SCENE03&ArtNo=703310341&SectionCat=&Template=printart