The Comedian's Guide to Survival

This semi-autobiographical comedy is loosely based on the experiences of British comedian James Mullinger, who managed to carve a successful stand-up career after years of struggle. The film presents us with a fictionalised version of James (played by James Buckley), depicting him as an embittered magazine journalist who performs low-paid stand-up gigs in his spare time. James is desperate to succeed as a comedian, but he isn't making any progress, and he's starting to lose hope. On top of this, his boss (Paul Kaye) demands that he stops performing on stage, insisting that James accepts a promotion that will involve more work. What will James do? We know the answer, of course, but Buckley is impressive throughout, especially during a three-minute monologue about the frustrations that arise when you're chasing a dream. Sadly, though, the film rarely rings true, and there are very few laughs along the way.