STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Louis C.K.

February 4th, 2014

Angie Frissore

Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Louis C.K.’s comedy career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

This week in Stand-Up Tuesdays, I’ve decided to shelve the stand up specials in favor of a little cinematic delight that was released last week by Louis C.K., entitled Tomorrow Night. Filmed by C.K. back in 1998 before his rise to comedic stardom, Tomorrow Night tells the bizarre story of a highly unlikable photo shop owner and features some pretty well-known names.

With a cast that includes Steve Carell, Chuck Sklar, Conan O’Brien, Wanda Sykes, J.B. Smoove and Todd Barry, I do admit my hopes were high for Louis C.K.’s first feature film – but, being familiar with the comedian’s work, I knew to expect the unexpected. And boy, there was a lot of unexpected.

Charles, the film’s main character, is an incredibly off-putting personality, which is only reinforced when his fetish for sitting naked in a giant bowl of ice cream is brought to light. Filmed in black and white, Tomorrow Night begins as sort of a patchwork, cutting back and forth between Charles’ story and the story of Florence, an elderly woman suffering at the hands of her abusive husband, whose son hasn’t written or called since joining the army twenty years ago. By the time C.K. brings the stories together, you’re left with a certain uneasiness that is eerily coupled with an intense curiosity.

The film’s ending is far too reminiscent of a particular episode of “The Twilight Zone” and is so unaffected by the preceding story line that one can’t help but think it was an afterthought – a random way to end the film.

Written when Louis C.K. was a struggling comedian, Tomorrow Night is easily recognizable as the comedian’s early work and, while perhaps not my cup of tea, is still an intriguing film undoubtedly possessing many undiscovered layers. It will be interesting to see how my view of it evolves over time, and whether that’s for the better, or for the worse.

In keeping with his trailblazing tradition of releasing his work, Louis C.K. has released Tomorrow Night on his website for only $5 – and, as usual, you can do whatever you please with it once you purchase it. Just don’t be a douchebag and torrent the film, because if you do that, he’ll stop putting amazing things out for very little cost, annoying fans nationwide – many of whom are comedians who have lots of free time during the day to find out who you are. Enjoy!