Just finished watching this movie. Even though I was aware of the somehow low rating, I decided to still give it a try, based on the fact that I enjoy watching Ed Helms or Amanda Seyfried - but with both of them playing, it felt like a must. I did not have any expectations, so no dissapointments. Unless you are a die hard fan, trust me that you won't miss any terrible laughs, unexpected plot twists or complex on screen chemistry. See it for what it is if nothing better comes up.
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emm_nul14 February 2018
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The story is odd, but nicely handled in an almost sit com sort of way. The characters are brilliantly defined almost from the start by the actors, with kudos going to the excellent Seyfried. I'd never have put her in a role like this but she carries it brilliantly and humbly and she shares the stars with the screenwriting.
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I had high hopes for The Clapper-the premise seemed great and I love Amanda Seyfried and Ed Helms. But half an hour in, I ended up fast forwarding to the end of the film. Helms and Seyfried do a great job and their love story was sweet, but the rest of the film didn't really know what it wanted to be. The cast does a great job, but they can't save this sinking ship.
This movie is apparently based on a book, but I'm not interested in reading it after seeing the film. -
terrencepatrix23 February 2018This is exactly who Ed Helms plays in almost every single thing he does. Just this sort of middle-aged sad sack schlubbing his way through life, not really depressed or sad, just going no where fast. And inevitably there's a far younger attractive woman toiling away at a dead end job with a whacky dream job whom he sparks up a romance with only to get in his own way time and time again because hey...it's Ed Helms and that's what he does. Dorky schlub that over reacts and makes life difficult for himself until everything magically works out in the end and everyone is happy.
That's honestly the entire movie. There weren't really any laughs, the plot is very thin, and the acting and interactions just never really seemed to have any life to it. It's just a guy who makes a living by sitting in infomercial audiences and a late night talk show notices him and starts up a nightly bit turning him into a sort of mystery sensation. This gets in the way of his romance. And there you go, that's the movie.
It's unoffensive and easy background noise but there's nothing special, unique, or charming about it. It's a pretty paint by number rom-com and literally the exact same thing Ed Helms does in every single appearance. Also can we stop having lame old guys being matched up with far younger attractive women? I just don't buy it. Watch if you're bored with absolutely nothing else to keep you occupied. -
sanidasifali7 August 2018The Clapper is an easy watch, and in most reviews it states , this movie doesnt know what it wants to be. It tries to be a satire, it tries to be a romcom etc. Why does a movie have to be one thing? This movie bravely attempts to navigate a love story with crazy media culture as a backdrop. Its a story about 3 honest people Eddie, Judy and Chris in a very dishonest world. I liked the performance of Ed Helms, Tracy Morgan and Amanda Seyfried. The only thing I had a problem was with the end dialogues between Eddie and Judy. But this is a very small, sweet movie which does paints an honest picture of everything wrong with popular culture. I think time will be kind to this movie.
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Writer director Dito Monteil has some decent if not interesting credits to his name, ('A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints'), but his latest film falls absolutely flat. "The Clapper" starts out with a brilliant premise; what if a normal, broken-ish man was thrust into unwanted fame? Would he fully break? Accept it? Deny it? Fight it? All would make for interesting answers, and compelling storytelling; sadly 'The Clapper' offers none lf them. Although it features an astounding cast, (Helms continues to prove his merit as a dramatic actor, Morgan is great as usual, Peters makes the most out of a thankless/one dimensional role, and Levine proves he still has some talent without a microphone; Remni is also strong in a nothing role and Seyfried does her damndest to make her poorly written character interesting), and some hilarious cameos, there's not much else of note. The premise goes nowhere, the film has tonal whiplash; moving from dramatic to funny to unsettling, and by the finale, nothing much of note has been said. This could have been many things; a Taxi Driver for the digital age, a dark satire or a straight up romantic comedy. Instead it tries halfheartedly for all three tones and grasps none of them. Even at face value, it seems like a bygone genre, a 'Mr. Smith Goes to Hollywood' with Ed Helms as Jimmy Stewart, but it can't even get that right. Additionally - there's so much left out thay could have been great - cameos from industry insiders, (Billy Banks and Vince Offer make appearances, as well as buisiness guru Mark Cuban); the aforementioned premise that could have gone wild with cell phone media, (filmed in late 2016 and released in 2018, the film feels like it was shot in 2009), as well as the superb cast, the film feels like nothing but a waste of time and talent. Hopefully someone else can either remake or use the premise for 'The Clapper' somewhere else, because it had so much promise. All in all, the brilliant cast makes the 'The Clapper' watchable, but just barely. Good enough for viewing on a cold rainy sunday, but not much else.
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dave-mcclain28 January 2018"The Clapper" (R, 1:29) is a romantic comedy with an unusual set-up. Ed Helms stars at the title character, Eddie Crumble, an unambitious sad sack who moves to L.A. after his wife dies and takes a job as a professional audience member for infomercials (including one with the late Alan Thicke, as himself), usually working for a humorless producer played by Leah Remini. Meanwhile, Eddie's mother (Brenda Vaccaro) continuously calls him, needling him to get more screen time, which he repeatedly tells her isn't something he can control.
Eddie is perfectly happy (well, as happy as Eddie gets) going from set to set earning small paychecks with his best (only) friend, the sweet, dimwitted Chris (Tracy Morgan). When a late-night talk show host (Russell Peters) and his staff (Adam Levine and P.J. Byrne) notice Eddie (wearing various disguises) in the audience of several commercials, they do an ongoing segment on the show devoted to finding the man they only know as The Clapper. Eddie knows that losing his anonymity means losing his job, so he's not interested in being found, until the publicity adversely affects his girlfriend, a mousy gas station attendant named Judy (Amanda Seyfried), and he has to use his new-found fame to try to get her back.
"The Clapper" is an unassuming, well-meaning comedy, which never really connects with the audience. Points for originality and for assembling a good cast, but Dito Montiel (writing and directing his first comedy) ends up with is an occasionally funny, mostly depressing film which exists only around the edges of sweetness. "C" -
adrossan20 March 2018I found The Clapper to be a very absorbing film, but odd in a number of parts.
It was a very good study with elements of Educating Rita, when compared to the evaluation of certain long-held ideas: that becoming "famous" is desirable, that it is OK to use people for financial gain, and that just because you want something you should have it, regardless of the morals and responsibilities that go with the territory.
America's obsession with becoming famous, and becoming rich (& famous) for basically doing nothing but being famous, is lightly viewed here, and I can't fathom why the script called for such low intelligence depicted by the characters Eddie & Chris.
We are all subject to the seduction of money and "elevating our status", and certainly the hegemony of America's wealthy is shown to some degree and put to the test. However I felt it wasn't necessary to have Eddie & Chris shown as less to lower average intelligence, and therefore grossly gullible. The greed of getting something for nothing as depicted by the network executives is interesting, as was the price of eventual "fame", but I would have been more interested in seeing how persons of average intelligence find it so difficult to earn a living in a country that allegedly worships the dollar and is fixated on making a buck at the expense of "the other guy" - more egalitarian countries don't have the socio-economic problems that such predatory behaviour brings. Being used & discarded is distasteful to anyone, and the likes of Hilton & Kardashian cashing in on vapidity is hopefully a trend that will ultimately end, when networks stop trying to sell advertising by elevating such lack of ability to do anything & its hollowness is finally recognised.
Two marks above pass from me, and I hope to see more of the same in the future - its getting very difficult to find a film that is thoughtful, reflective and interesting to anyone over 25 these days, we don't all need explosions and gun play, and yes we still go to the cinema and pay for tickets - please stop ignoring your most loyal audience ! -
eemaile12 May 2018Human beings do not on any level act like this. Audiences dont laugh at terrible jokes and anothers tragedy just because its passed off with blase. Unsurprisingly Ed Helms and Amanda Seyfried both do a great job of representing sweet, out of touch and stressed "nobodys" but the writing here is horrible, not cute just awkward lines just make them into expository dolls despite their best efforts. Im surprised this movie was made but arts a risk and Im sure everyone gave it a college try. Lots of good qualities.
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kariann-marti10 August 2018Although there's a romantic aspect, and although there are some laughs, this is really a drama. This poor schmuck is taken advantage of as he gets 15 minutes of fame he never asked for. He doesn't have much to begin with, and now he's lost even that. It's pretty depressing, to be honest! But it's a good story.
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ivantheeditor2 June 2018Who wrote this?? This was so forced and fake that it was painful to watch. I was only able to last for 30 mins and had to turn it off. It's slow, it's boring, and it tries too hard but still fails miserably. The story is completely pointless and goes no where. The acting is ok but it's the writing that just makes this painful to watch. The dialog is so.... whatever. These people need to learn about timing!!
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boltdavid6729 July 2018I watched this as a result of liking the book 'Eddie Krumble Is The Clapper'. Dito Montiel, the author of the book, wrote and directed the movie.
The central idea of the story is a good one. Eddie (Ed Helms) is happy enough with his job as a 'clapper' in audiences for infomercials and is slowly starting a relationship with gas-station worker Judy (Amanda Seyfried) until a late-night talk show notices him in several infomercials and he goes viral, which costs him his job and his relationship.
Helms does an excellent job as a man who finds the peaceful, anonymous life he had shattered, without understanding what's happening to him or why. Helms plays Eddie in a way that you can't help but feel sorry for him.
Maybe there's a message in there about laughing at total strangers on the internet. Those who are exploiting Eddie for entertainment, and those doing the laughing are the ones who are in the wrong here.
I think a lot of the negative reviews are because people expected that with this cast, it would be a comedy. It's not. But I found it to be an entertaining and somewhat sweet film and I think well worth 90 minutes of anyone's time. -
This movie will not change your life and it's not looking to do that. It seems like a relatively low budget indie film that has some heart and the balls to be a little different.
Definitely worth a view as the charm will carry this movie over its minor defects. -
It's like a cross between mumblecore and Andy Samberg. It tries to see just how unpleasant and irritating it can be before you turn it off. This is a movie that hates movies hates TV hates infomercials and hates its audience. And it hates you.
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This film tells the story of a man whose life is turned upside down by a TV show.
It is a great film because Eddie is a down to Earth man who is just like most people who watch this film. I can relate to him easily, as a man who is just trying to make a living. I sympathise with him when his life is basically wrecked by the TV show. It is a great romantic comedy that also explores boundaries of privacy. -
Why would he simply not explain when he got on the show how it was ruining his life. Explain how their harassment caused the woman he loved to get fired. Explained that their actions tore them apart. The writing in this is beyond ignorant. All the way down to her saying that HE said THEY were stalking HIM and it's never addressed. Just spun into them saying she thinks hes the stalker? Then they continue to harass her. This movie makes me want to smash my tv. Is the character played by ed helm supposed to be mentally handicapped. Is he on the spectrum? Why is he unable to explain a damn thing when it matters, yet is able to when hes alone with his friend. You litterally get to watch the main character explain everything that's wrong to his best friend, and become a moron every time hes around litterally anyone else. Who the fuck wrote this trash. Still love ed helm tho. Great actor. Horrible script. And I mean terrible.
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I was very intrigued by this movie when I came across it on netflix. I love Ed Helms and this movie truly shows his capacity as a serious actor. I should have known this was an independent film because it flowed very naturally and there was no glitz or glam, just real scenes with realistic people and dialogue.
I have felt like Eddie and Judy at many times in my life, like everyone else wanted to be a part of something that I have no interest in. The two of them are simple people yet their feelings for each other and their general kindness makes them extraordinary. My favorite scenes are the ones with the two of them together and that is the only reason this movie does not get a higher rating is that I really wish there were more scenes between them and that we had gotten some back story on her to see what had made her feel broken inside. Instead they chose to simply illustrate that her life like Eddie's was also not going according to plan. I think her "damaged" animals that she loved so much were supposed to symbolize how broken both their lives were.
Tracy Morgan was great as Eddie's friend, I loved the scenes with them together. There seems to be a lot of symbolism in this movie that might go unnoticed by most. I felt that the speaker not working at the gas station conveyed a loss or lack of communication among society. And it was interesting how despite the broken speaker, Eddie and Judy are still able to communicate and connect. It shows how special they are.
The TV people in this movie were clearly the villains and brilliantly represented the parasites of society. This movie also shows how much the internet has ruined the minds and hearts of the average person. The world was willing to sacrifice the Clapper's life just so that they had something entertaining to watch on TV when they returned home from their own dreary lives. At the same time, it shows how much the internet and TV connects us all as in the end, everyone seemed to learn their lesson and feel for Eddie when he unveiled his pain on national television.
My favorite scene is of Eddie and Judy in the food place on their "french fry date" and Eddie suggests that they eat inside because no one ever eats inside for some reason. It shows how nonconformist they both are, they prefer the peace and tranquility opposed to the average person. Then the masses only herd inside and ruin Eddie and Judy's peace and and quiet when it is pouring outside. Very symbolic that the masses only stop taunting Eddie when the storm later erupts from him and he confesses about losing his first wife and former life.
Another reason this does not get a higher rating is because I felt that the ending while wonderful, was very rushed. It seems like they felt like it was enough just for them to end up together. I would have preferred more details. I guess they were going for less is more. Clearly the world had battered these two around enough and just deciding to be together despite it all is very beautiful on its own.
This is definitely the perfect movie to watch if you just want to smile and fill yourself with hope. -
mark_ezov-8180228 January 2022The story really loses footing as it goes along and gets less and less entertaining with each scene. The talk show material especially is horribly written and becomes a complete mess.
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Kamurai2527 March 2020Good watch, would watch again, and can recommend.
Amanda Seyfried, Ed Helms, and Tracy Morgan all do a wonderful job navigating the nuances of these roles.
The big problem I have with the movie is part of the core of the story they are telling. There are real people with that type of job, and they're small but important to the industry. The movie paints highlighting these people as a terrible thing, but that's exactly what the movie is doing to the real people it is based on.
And while we like talk shows like the one that targets the Clapper, there are bad always the sausage is made because their motivations are to stay alive, stay better than there competitors: people end up becoming a casualty of success. -
quanah-767672 September 2020Remembering Ed Helms from"The Office", I've tried to give this one a go... OMG ! One really bad plot, not related to this at all. Bored to tears, really that bad. Watched 10 painfully minutes of this garbage, then, tryed to get this filth outta my head. Stay away! My opinion: if I could I'd give this -10.
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rigovega23 March 2019Internet culture makes celebrities out of ordinary people with or without their consent. Some people get recognition for their talents, others get famous for the wrong reasons. In this film, this is exactly what is explored.
There seems to be a problem with consistency at the start, but somewhere in the middle it fixes itself. The music goes well with what is shown on screen, all the actors are convincing in their parts, and I especially liked Tracy Morgan as the laid back naive friend.
I liked this movie more than I thought I would. If you want something completely different, give this one a chancd -
gianmarcoronconi19 January 2022Sweet film that tries to give beauty and lightness in search of a person on TV and on love. But the film does not convey that, in fact it is very mundane and stupid and the behavior of all the characters is bordering on ridicule and most of the time it makes no sense. All the research-based storyline is futile, already seen and badly done.
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bficarra-5980215 April 2018A really good rom com. Probably more com than rom. Funny, sad, made me tear up. Great cast.
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simon_ecc22 July 2020The Clapper is a cliched romantic comedy. That's its worst fault. What it does which the vast majority of romcoms avoid is paint the details of people on the edge. His flat is modest, the decor is seventies, the floor is tiled black and white, he puts 5 dollars in the pay-as-you-go internet service, he has to get on the bus with a jerry can to go to the petrol station. Things that people on the margins do to scrabble about to make some sort of living.
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pronto196610 June 2018Sorry, but Ed Helms could not pull this role off. This was a role made for Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller can make a character angry at the world, yet still somehow likeable. Not so with Ed Helms work here. The script was bad, at times really, really bad. Not sure if the writers were indulging in too many edibles when they wrote this, but the timing of the jokes was off. (write high, test material straight!)
Scenes that were supposed to be humorous often ended up being awkward and over done. Like when a comedian tells a joke that bombs, and you watch and cringe as they desperately try to squeeze a laugh out of something that didn't work. At a certain point, leave it. Continuing to try to make an unfunny scene funny just makes it embarrassing. (ie: scene when mom shows up at talk show). With a little work to the script, Ben Stiller could have pulled that scene off.
I can see why this movie got made, and had the script been given more attention, and the lead recast, it would have been a good movie.