The Opening Act

Directed by Steve Byrne, The Opening Act details the various complications that ensue after a fledgling comic (Jimmy O. Yang’s Will O’Brien) lands a coveted spot as an emcee for a well-known comedian named Billy G (Cedric the Entertainer). It’s a familiar yet workable premise that’s employed to consistently (and increasingly) off-putting effect by Byrne, as the writer/director delivers a sluggish, excessively low-rent endeavor that’s compounded by a less-than-streamlined narrative and ongoing lack of laughs – with the latter especially surprising given that Byrne has packed the periphery cast with such real-life (and hilarious) comedians as Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Neal Brennan, and Ken Jeong. And although Yang turns in an affable, likeable performance as the sympathetic protagonist, The Opening Act suffers from as hackneyed and eye-rollingly stale a trajectory for its protagonist as one could possibly envision – with Will forced to endure an everything-goes-wrong stretch that includes everything but a fake breakup. The upbeat, triumphant finale is, as a result, hardly able to pack the satisfying punch that Byrne has obviously intended, which ultimately does cement The Opening Act‘s place as a fairly pronounced failure that squanders the efforts of an often strikingly talented cast.

*1/2 out of ****