THERE'S always an air of excitement and anticipation at a film premiere, especially if it's on foreign soil and the movie in question was made in two days.
Maverick moviemaker, Frank D'Angelo, shot his latest theatrical release, The Joke Thief, during two bitterly cold days in February in his home city of Toronto, so it's only fitting that the Canadian premiere should be held in his home city.
This slick, witty and often downright laugh-out-loud funny film is subtly infused with a poignant dose of melancholy and is nothing short of perfect storytelling, casting, production and direction.
The multi-talented, Italian-Canadian, D'Angelo not only directed, produced and starred in The Joke Thief - he also sings on the movie soundtrack.
(Frank D'Angelo at The ICFF premiere in Toronto)
In the film, D'Angelo plays Simon McCabe, a stand-up comedian who has been making people laugh for 35 years. He's always been the life and soul of the party, but now he is tired, miserable and almost washed up because he's never had a lucky break due to his reputation for stealing jokes.
One fateful night, Simon's long-time friend and fellow comedian, Frances (Tony Nardi) convince comedy club owner, Freddy C (Daniel Baldwin), to give Simon some stage time and one last shot at redemption.
On the ride to the gig, Simon takes us on a whirlwind journey of his life, as he remembers special moments in a series of emotional flashbacks that made him the sad, funny man that he is today.
It's worth giving a notable mention here for Sugith Varughese as Jerry the Uber Driver, who matches D'Angelo's witty barbs and melancholy mood with gusto, creating some memorable moments during the cab scenes.
Varughese is an award-winning screenwriter, short film director, and actor, with several series regular and recurring character credits under his belt. His role in The Joke Thief is an integral part of the film's success as the story flits back and forth between the cab ride and Simon (D'Angelo) reflecting on his life leading up to this one, potentially, life-changing moments in a series of flashbacks.
The cast of The Joke Thief took to the stage after The ICFF premiere in Toronto.
In typical D'Angelo fashion, cast regulars appear in abundance including; Tony Nardi, Daniel Baldwin, Jason Blicker, John Ashton, Alyson Court, Amanda Martinez, Jerry Carinigi, Art Hindle, Jack Newman (a huge Still Game fan) and Constantine Meglis.
Real-life comedians also feature including; Julie McCullough, Ed Marino, Jeff Elliott, Glen Foster and Ed the Sock.
Baldwin's star turn as the comedy club master of ceremonies is hilarious - effortlessly entertaining the crowd with some razor-sharp one-liners. Did you know he started out on the stand-up circuit? Me neither.
His enigmatic performance earned him The Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) Award of Excellence.
The comedy club scene itself is nothing short of mesmerizing - D'Angelo shot it continuously in one take. No mean feat with a room full of 100 extras and six cameras rolling simultaneously capturing every piece of cinematic gold.
The Joke Thief is littered with stand-out scenes and one-liners that pull you in right from the opening scene and sultry soundtrack, which coincidentally, stars three generations of the D'Angelo family.
The movie has proved to be a hit with both audiences and critics alike at film festivals across Canada and the USA. Frank D'Angelo picked up awards for Best Acting Performance in a Feature Film and the Indie Spirit Award at this year's Boston International Film Festival.
Twentieth Century Fox's release of The Joke Thief is currently in cinemas across Canada and North America and will soon be available in the UK on iTunes, Google Play Store, Amazon and on Frank D'Angelo's In Your Ears Productions website HERE.
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