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A Futile and Stupid Gesture
Directed by
David Wain
R
2018
1h 41m
Biography
,
Comedy
6.7
67%
71%
Add to Watchlist
In the 1970s and '80s, National Lampoon's success and influence creates a new media empire overseen in part by the brilliant and troubled Douglas Kenney.
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Where to Watch A Futile and Stupid Gesture
Netflix
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Netflix Basic with Ads
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Cast of A Futile and Stupid Gesture
Will Forte
Doug Kenney
Domhnall Gleeson
Henry Beard
Martin Mull
Modern Doug
Neil Casey
Brian McConnachie
Jon Daly
Bill Murray
Nelson Franklin
P.J. O'Rourke
John Gemberling
John Belushi
Rick Glassman
Harold Ramis
Seth Green
Christopher Guest
Harry Groener
Harry Kenney
Max Greenfield
Chris Miller
Camille Guaty
Alex Garcia-Mata
Ed Helms
Tom Snyder
Thomas Lennon
Michael O'Donoghue
Joe Lo Truglio
Brad
Matt Lucas
Tony Hendra
Natasha Lyonne
Anne Beatts
Joel McHale
Chevy Chase
Annette O'Toole
Stephanie Kenney
Emmy Rossum
Kathryn Walker
Jackie Tohn
Gilda Radner
Matt Walsh
Matty Simmons
Finn Wittrock
Tim Matheson
Elvy
Mary Marshmallow
Frank Gingerich
Doug - Age 12
Morgan Gingerich
Doug - Age 12
David Wain
Interviewer
Ben F. Campbell
Harvard Jester
Jon Klaft
Preppy Student
Brad Morris
Peter Ivers
Carla Gallo
Lucy Fisher
Beau Bassewitz
Umpire
Rick Overton
First Publisher
Mark Metcalf
Second Publisher
David Krumholtz
Time-Life Publisher
Mitchell Hurwitz
Time-Life Publisher
Michael Colton
Art Director
John Aboud
Art Director
Michael Sherman
Ed Sullivan
Kerri Kenney
Sullivan Producer
Bob Stephenson
Construction Worker
Ellen Colton
Waitress
Liz Femi
Skeptical Black Woman
Chris Redd
Skeptical Black Man
Krister Johnson
Michael Gross
Peter Blake
Advertiser
Mike Park
Advertiser
Gregg Turkington
Advertiser
Michael Farrell
Radio Hour Pianist / Premiere Party Pianist
Adam Wade
Radio Hour Drummer / Premiere Party Drummer
Meera Rohit Kumbhani
Elaine
Jherek Bischoff
Lemmings Bass Player
Craig Wedren
Lemmings Piano Player
Sam Mickens
Street Musician
Armen Weitzman
Lorne Michaels
Lonny Ross
Ivan Reitman
Steven Sims
Stephen Furst
Brian Huskey
John Landis
Julian Wass
Premiere Party Guitar Player
Bo Boddie
Premiere Party Guitar Player
Rich Sommer
Harry Crane
Kate Simmons
Party Guest
Abigail Klein
Missy
Andrew Gray McDonnell
Michael O'Keefe
Erv Dahl
Rodney Dangerfield
Paul Scheer
Paul Shaffer
Martha Smith
Tour Guide
Hutch Barbeau
Studio Tour Kid
Matt Ballard
Bartender
Melissa Paulo
Room Service Waitress
Lindsey Kraft
Gwyneth Cravens
Christopher Arminio
National Lampoon Staffer (uncredited)
Bambadjan Bamba
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
James Bearb
Doug Niedermeyer (uncredited)
Garrett Boyd
Young Omega Chip Diller (uncredited)
Jack Andrew Cook
Dan Aykroyd (uncredited)
T.C. Daniels
Brian Doyle Murray (uncredited)
Gina Dunlap
Dancer (uncredited)
Paige Flannery
Stoned College Kid (uncredited)
Jake Jacobson
Ted Knight (uncredited)
Allyson Nicole Jones
Student (uncredited)
Sean Leo
Boyscout (uncredited)
Christina Miller
Funeral Guest (uncredited)
Lauryn Morse
Cheerleader Captain (uncredited)
Jeremey Penn
Daniel Kenney (uncredited)
Sandra Rosko
Stoner College Kid (uncredited)
Dallas Ryan
Sound Guy (uncredited)
Paul Rudd
"The Nobody" (uncredited)
David Sampen
Caddyshack Film Crew (uncredited)
Tim Seitter
Kroger (uncredited)
Vivienne Taylor
Toga Waitress (uncredited)
A Futile and Stupid Gesture Ratings & Reviews
RogerEbert.com
Brian Tallerico
While there's a bit of hero worship going on that deflates the piece, and Wain's direction is surprisingly uninspired, the biggest problem is the script that tries to cover too much ground.
AV Club
Charles Bramesco
While Wain has developed an immunity to the biopic's blustery pretension, he's not so wary of the form's more superficial shortcomings.
Detroit News
Adam Graham
Kenney and Beard are friends and business partners who experience the ups and downs of their creative partnership, but like many things in "A Futile and Stupid Gesture," their relationship feels like a glossy version of the truth.
Chicago Sun-Times
Richard Roeper
Forte captures Kenney's deadpan comedic insanity and his wry humor, but also conveys the sense of melancholy and emotional restlessness plaguing Doug.
indieWire
David Ehrlich
Maybe this is exactly the biopic that Kenney would want, silly and bittersweet and laced with regret. Unfortunately, the film is just good enough to convince us that he deserved better.
ScreenCrush
Matt Singer
It's way too reverent a portrait of the irreverent men of the National Lampoon.
TheWrap
Todd Gilchrist
A Futile And Stupid Gesture is, ultimately, anything but pointless, exploring an important moment in pop culture through the life of a man who captured its essence as well as the people who made him an institution.
The Hollywood Reporter
Leslie Felperin
A move that, if nothing else, shockingly abandons the traditional rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-redemption four-part trajectory to which nearly every biopic slavishly adheres.
Slate
Ellin Stein
There's a sense that the filmmakers have bitten off more than they can chew by trying to cram both the biography and the panoramic overview into one feature.
The Atlantic
David Sims
A Futile and Stupid Gesture feels like a quick tour of a man's greatest hits that relies on his accomplishments, rather than any storytelling artistry, to impress the audience.
CNN.com
Brian Lowry
A thoughtful yet playful biography about an unsung comedy genius.
Variety
Owen Gleiberman
The only aspect of it that I found I could focus on with even a modicum of interest was Will Forte's sideburns.
Los Angeles Times
Robert Abele
"Futile" lies haphazardly between funny and not, as comedies about comedy tend to do.
New York Magazine/Vulture
David Edelstein
An impishly meta cartoon that manages to squeeze in some serious themes - although I'm not sure it leaves you with more than a desire to read (or reread) Kenney's most famous Lampoon works.
Blu-ray.com
Brian Orndorf
While he fails to unearth anything new, Wain gets by on enthusiasm, creating a valentine to the magazine and its love of anarchy.
Nerdist
Scott Weinberg
The result is a colorful, crazy, and occasionally tasteless movie. One suspects that Doug Kenney would have approved.
The Daily Dot
Audra Schroeder
In the hands of another director, this film might have felt procedural, but Wain adds in the asides and inside jokes and fourth-wall-breaking that made WHAS so unique.
National Review
Kyle Smith
The sad-clown image may be a cliché, but there's nothing trite about this movie's handling of Kenney's story.
Splice Today
Stephen Silver
An alternately funny and poignant rampage through National Lampoon history
Reel Film Reviews
David Nusair
An irreverent, entertaining biopic...
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